Apple is using corporate tactics to try and prevent employees from forming unions at two of its stores, according to reports. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) filed a complaint against Apple for violating federal labor laws by interrogating workers at the World Trade Center store about union activity, preventing them from posting union flyers in shared spaces, and forcing the workers to attend anti-union presentations.
This is the second time this week that Apple has been accused of union busting by the CWA, with workers from the Atlanta store filing similar complaints against the company on Tuesday.
In February, Apple employees across the country began forming plans to unionize to demand better pay and benefits. Workers at New York City's flagship store began collecting signatures to vote on whether to unionize. Workers at an Atlanta Apple store filed for a union election in April.
It is difficult to unionize against a company that has been accused of violating labor laws in China. According to the CWA complaint, Apple made the employees at the World Trade Center store think they were being monitored, as well as making them think they were being questioned over their union activities, in addition to prohibiting the store employees from hanging up flyers during their break. The company put on speeches for its employees to try and discourage them from unionizing.
The CWA filed a complaint against Apple on behalf of the workers at the Cumberland Mall store in Atlanta, accusing the company of holding mandatory captive-audience meetings with employees regarding the upcoming union elections in June.
Ed Barlow, president of CWA Local 3204 in Atlanta, welcomed the workers who are organizing at Apple and called on the company's management to reject union busting tactics so that they can vote without interference or intimidation.
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