Vera v. Saks & Co.
Angel C. Vera initiated a lawsuit against his former employer, Saks & Company, and his union, United Storeworkers, Local 1102. He contended that Saks unlawfully deducted wages by factoring merchandise refunds into commission calculations, violating New York Labor Law § 193. Additionally, Vera accused the Union of breaching its duty of fair representation under the Labor Management Relations Act for not pursuing arbitration on his behalf. The court ruled that Vera's claim against Saks was arbitrable and required exhaustion of contractual remedies, which he failed to accomplish as the Union legitimately decided not to arbitrate. Vera also conceded his unfair representation claim against the Union. Consequently, the court granted summary judgment to both Saks and the Union, dismissing Vera's claims due to failure to exhaust remedies and being time-barred.