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Another Apple union-busting tactic found to be illegal: Coercively interrogating staff

Yet another Apple union-busting tactic has been found to be illegal. Yesterday’s ruling by a judge was the third time that the company was found to have broken employment law in its efforts to stem the growing tide of Apple Store staff forming and joining unions.

A US labor board judge found that the company was guilty of “coercively interrogating workers” about their unionization activities …

Background

unionization movement among Apple Store workers has seen the Cupertino company accused of a variety of illegal union-busting measures. These range from mandatory attendance at anti-union meetings through creating a fake union and penalizing union members to firing union activists.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has already upheld claims of two illegal Apple union-busting tactics, and two members of Congress said last month that there appears to be a recurring pattern of the Cupertino company breaking labor laws.

One concern raised by the lawmakers was that Apple was illegally “interrogating” staff, and this has now been confirmed. The latest ruling relates to the World Trade Center store, where charges were first filed more than a year ago.

Apple union-busting includes coercive interrogations

Bloomberg reports that a judge yesterday ruled that the iPhone maker was indeed guilty of breaking the law by doing just that.

Apple Inc “coercively interrogated” retail employees about their pro-union sympathies and restricted the circulation of union flyers, a US labor board judge ruled, marking a victory for labor organizers at the world’s most valuable company.

In a Tuesday decision, a National Labor Relations Board judge wrote that Apple violated the rights of employees at its World Trade Center store in New York City, one of several around the country where workers waged union campaigns last year.

The judge ordered Apple to immediately cease and desist from this. The company was also told that it cannot continue to remove pro-union literature from employee break rooms.

Apple had not commented on the ruling at the time of writing.

9to5Mac’s Take

As we’ve noted before, Apple has chosen to take an extremely hard line against the growing unionization movement among its retail workers. That is, of course, the company’s right. What it cannot do, however, is break the law.

There are specific labor laws designed to protect the rights of workers to organize, form, and join unions. These prohibit companies from interference and intimidation, and Apple has yet again been found to have acted illegally.

We continue to argue that Apple’s best interests are served by engaging positively with its retail staff, both from employee morale and PR viewpoints. Being seen to illegally intimidate your own employees is never a good look.

Photo: Evansville Police Department

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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