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6 October, 2026US workwear company UniFirst has launched legal proceedings to dissolve the union at its plant in Nicaragua, after 293 members resigned in less than a week and five were dismissed. Workers allege that management pressured them to leave the union. The case comes as US uniform giant Cintas prepares to acquire UniFirst.
According to IndustriALL affiliate the National Federation of Textile, Garment, Leather and Footwear Unions (FESITEX), relations with the company began to sour in January 2026 over benefits and disciplinary action against union leaders.
Tensions escalated after the union joined FESITEX and tabled a collective bargaining proposal at the end of July. Supervisors, people close to management and former union leaders allegedly pressed workers to quit the union, warning of closure and job losses.
Within a week, 293 members had resigned. The speed of the resignations and the near-identical letters raise serious doubts about whether workers acted freely, and demand a thorough investigation.
Five union members were also dismissed. This pushed membership below the legal minimum of 20, and UniFirst went straight to court to dissolve the union.
The real question is whether workers chose to leave the union or were pushed out. Even if the law allows dissolution, someone needs to find out why membership dropped.
Defending freedom of association
In a letter to UniFirst sent on 9 September, IndustriALL is demanding that the company drop its legal action to dissolve the union. At the very least, the case should be put on hold while the resignations and dismissals are independently investigated.
IndustriALL also wants an end to pressure and retaliation against workers. Those dismissed for union activity must be reinstated with compensation, and the company must return to good faith talks with the union and FESITEX.
If true, UniFirst’s actions would violate ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining, both ratified by Nicaragua.
Cintas must act before the takeover
US uniform giant Cintas, the largest company in the sector in North America, is set to acquire its rival UniFirst.
In a letter sent on 5 October, IndustriALL urged Cintas to deal with the situation urgently as part of its human and labour rights due diligence on the deal. Until the takeover is complete, the two companies remain independent. But Cintas has leverage and should use it to make UniFirst halt the dissolution case, investigate the allegations and put things right. IndustriALL also insists that the risks to workers’ rights are fully assessed before the deal goes through.
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie said:
“When 293 resignations and five dismissals push a union below the legal minimum, the answer is to investigate what happened, not to dissolve the union. We are seriously concerned that the law is being used to finish off a union weakened by alleged interference in workers’ freedom of association. It also risks giving the impression that the union is being eliminated just before Cintas’s proposed acquisition of UniFirst. Cintas must use its influence to ensure UniFirst withdraws its legal action to dissolve the union and guarantees that workers can exercise their trade union rights without pressure or retaliation.”