A federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order to halt a campaign by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union related to labels at grocery stores and other locations where Mott’s products are for sale.
 
Mott’s LLP is owned by Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.

The company last month filed the request in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas after the company said the UFCW encouraged the public to visit supermarkets and other retail outlets and label Mott’s and other Dr Pepper Snapple products with fliers from the union’s Web site bearing messages supporting workers striking at the company’s Williamson facility.

U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis found the union’s activities violated federal anti-tampering laws and were intended to impact the company's image and reputation. The injunction prohibits the union from placing labels on Mott’s food and beverage products as well as printing, publishing, distributing and advertising the use of the labels.

“We have a fiduciary responsibility to protect our trademarks and packaging and take reasonable steps to ensure our retail customers and consumers can sell and buy our products without disruption to their business or shopping experience,” said Larry Young, Dr Pepper Snapple president and CEO, in a statement.

Roughly 300 workers in Williamson represented by the union went on strike May 23 when both sides could not reach a new contract agreement.

Dr Pepper Snapple is operating the plant with temporary workers and other company employees. In a release, the company said it has no plans for further contract negotiations with the union but continues to keep the door open for striking employees to return to work.

Jim Papian, UFCW spokesman, said the union is complying with the court order and plans to look at what legal steps it can take. The order would not stop the union from using other avenues to tell shoppers about what he calls unfair treatment that company management has toward Mott’s workers, including offering contract concessions that are not adequate to the workers, he said.

“It shows that (the company) is embarrassed by what it is doing and it should be,” Papian said.