Thymes v. United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, Local 1167

**Worker Loses Case Against Union for Not Pursuing His Discrimination Claims** Robert Thymes sued his union, the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1167, claiming they failed to properly represent him when he reported workplace discrimination. Thymes believed his union had a duty to aggressively pursue his discrimination complaints and that they breached their contract with him by not doing enough. The federal appeals court ruled in favor of the union. The court found that the union had actually done its job properly. When Thymes brought his discrimination concerns to the union, they investigated his claims. However, the union determined that Thymes hadn't provided enough evidence to support his allegations. The union then asked Thymes for additional documentation to strengthen his case, but he failed to provide it. The court concluded this was reasonable behavior by the union, not a breach of their duty to represent him fairly. **What this means for workers:** Unions have a duty to represent their members fairly, but they don't have to pursue every complaint regardless of evidence. If your union investigates your concerns and asks for more documentation to build a stronger case, you should provide it. Unions can make reasonable decisions about which cases to pursue based on the strength of available evidence.