It's widely acknowledged that the United States' labor laws skew in favor of employers, but, even with that advantage, countless businesses still face complaints from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regarding their anti-union activities. With labor organizing on the rise, NLRB complaints have become more prevalent as well, with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) becoming the most recent corporate giant to be accused of violating the law.
According to reports to the NLRB from the Communications Workers of America, Apple interrogated its employees regarding their stance on unions and didn't allow workers to display pro-labor fliers in company break rooms. The union also accused Apple of surveilling staff and holding mandatory anti-union speeches, but those allegations were not included in the NLRB complaint.
"Apple has a choice," said Sara Steffens, secretary-treasurer for the Communications Workers of America. "Does it want to be known for intimidating its workers and creating a culture of fear, or does it want to live up to its stated values and welcome true collaboration with all of its employees?"
For its part, Apple denies the allegations and says it looks "forward to presenting the facts", according to a spokesperson.
"We regularly communicate with our teams and always want to ensure everyone's experience at Apple is the best it can be," the company said in a statement.
Unless Apple and the union can agree to a settlement, the complaint is set to be heard before an NLRB judge on December 13.
Apple's efforts to stall unionization efforts at three of its retail locations in the spring of 2021 were largely successful: while a location in Maryland did successfully become the first unionized Apple store to unionize last June, the other two locations in New York and Atlanta have given up on their plans to join the union.
The NLRB complaint is regarding Apple's work to prevent organizing at the New York location. Similar allegations have been brought by union officials regarding the Atlanta store, but the NLRB hasn't yet pursued a charge.
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) have each faced dozens of complaints regarding their treatment of union workers and organizers, with some of those complaints being more damaging than others.
A barista at a unionized Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, says he was fired for wearing a mental-health awareness pin after a co-worker died by suicide, and 50 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island were recently suspended for refusing to return to work just hours after a fire in the facility.