In June 2022, I wrote about the unionization efforts among the wenches and peasants at the Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Even then, the company was reportedly spending $3200 per day to stop their staff from demanding raises above the state minimum wage of $13 an hour.
Now, it seems the Feudal Corporate Landlords of Medieval Times are taking a new approach to union-busting: claiming that the union's name, which invokes the parent company, is in fact an act of trademark infringement. Via Huffington Post:
In its lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court, Medieval Times said the union, the American Guild of Variety Artists, had created "consumer confusion" by allowing workers to use the name "Medieval Times Performers United."
The company claims the union is "threatening the established goodwill of Medieval Times" by including the chain's name and medieval-themed imagery in its name and logo.
"The elements featured in the Medieval Times Performers Logo (i.e., castle, swords, old script style text) all resemble elements of Medieval Times's branding and middle ages-themed décor, which are clearly meant to evoke Medieval Times' unique image," the company said in its lawsuit.
That's, umm, certainly an interesting intimidation tactic. And you wonder why your workers are calling for ye olde gallows?
Medieval Times Sues Its Workers' Union Alleging 'Trademark Infringement' [Dave Jamieson / Huffington Post]
Image: Sergiy Galyonkin / Flickr (CC-BY-SA 2.0)
