Apple Workers in Georgia Drop Bid For Union Vote, Claiming They Are Intimidated By The Company

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 28 May 2022, 09:05 am

The retail workers trying to organize the union vote at an Apple store in Atlanta, Georgia, withdrew their request for an election.

Apple Workers Were Intimidated

The union called Communications Workers of America (CWA) alleged in a statement that Apple has violated labor laws and made a fair election impossible for them.

Also, CWA said that there are rising numbers of COVID-19 cases at the Apple store in Atlanta, which could affect the union vote because of the health concerns of the workers.

The vote was scheduled for next week, and if it pushed through, it would have been the first unionized Apple store in the United States, according to CNBC.

The development is a setback for the efforts of the workers to unionize at the tech giant's retail stores in the United States.

Also Read: Apple Machine Learning Director Resigns Due To Work-From-Office Policy; More Employees Leaving?

Aside from the store in Atlanta, Georgia, three were Apple stores with workers holding public union drives.

A union vote for employees at an Apple store in Maryland is scheduled for June 15, according to Bloomberg.

A representative for CWA said that an overwhelming majority of the employees at the Atlanta store announced that they were forming a union back in April and requested recognition from Apple.

Since then, the tech giant has conducted a systematic and sophisticated campaign to intimidate them and interfere with their right to form a union.

The representative added that Apple's behavior on the issue of unionization violates the US law, the principles of the company's credo and vendor code of conduct, and international human rights standards.

The organizing committee told the Apple store employees in Georgia that they are not moving forward with the election given Apple's behavior and the coercive environment they created.

The committee added that they were outraged that Apple chose to spend thousands of dollars to pay a third party, an outside union avoidance law firm, abandon its professed values, and deceitfully and aggressively union bust the Atlanta store, interfering with their legal right to organize a union.

The message also said that the Atlanta store organizers would reset and work with other retail stores to prepare them for future union drives.

Pushing for a Union

The workers at the Atlanta store filed for a union drive back in April, when 70% of the store employees signed cards signaling interest in being represented by CWA.

Since then, the tech giant has faced accusations that it is deploying anti-union tactics that break the US labor laws, according to Engadget.

The CWA said in an unfair labor practice filing in early May that managers at the retail store held captive audience meetings, where workers are required to attend meetings that include corporate anti-union talking points.

On May 23, Apple's head of retail and human resources said that she believed unions would make it harder for company managers to respond to employee concerns and that unions are not committed to its employees.

The union organizers are asking for more transparency in how the Apple employees are paid, a commitment to diversity in management, and increased COVID safety measures for employees.

Apple also announced that it was increasing its starting pay for its employees to $22 per hour. In the message to the workers, the organizing committee said that the unplanned raises were a direct result of its organizing drive.