Judge Rules Apple Guilty of Violating Employee Rights in NYC Store
Apple has been found guilty of interfering with employees’ attempts to organize a union at its World Trade Center store in New York City, according to a ruling by a judge from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The company’s managers were accused of removing pro-union flyers from the break room and discouraging workers from joining unions, which resulted in the end of the organizing campaign. The judge has ordered Apple to stop coercively interrogating employees about their union sympathies and protected activities.
In early 2022, it was reported that Apple store employees nationwide were quietly organizing in response to concerns that their wages were not reflecting the rising cost of living. However, Apple soon hired the anti-union law firm Littler Mendelson, which also represents Starbucks and McDonalds, among others. The company also urged store managers to share anti-union sentiment, such as warning workers that joining a union could result in reduced pay, career opportunities and time off. That same May, the Communications Workers of America filed unfair labor practice charges against Apple stores in the World Trade Center and Atlanta’s Cumberland Mall.
The union’s efforts are slowly gaining a foothold in Apple stores across the country. The NLRB previously found that Apple had violated federal law in Atlanta, including holding daily mandatory anti-union meetings for workers and questioning workers. Last year, workers at an Apple store in Maryland and another in Oklahoma voted to unionize. However, other locations, such as the St. Louis branch, rejected unionization plans and accused Apple of similar tactics.
