The meeting leader said they were going to answer questions from the team despite the fact that he was not aware of the questions. The leader answered yes to the question, "Could we lose our benefits if we form a union?" The meeting leaders asked employees to raise their hands if they used the individual benefits listed. They would look at people and say, 'That mental health benefit you take advantage of'. Employees wouldn't vote for a contract that stripped them of their benefits. A majority of members have to approve a union contract.
Atlanta's mandatory captive audience meetings have been called illegal by the National Labor Relations Board. Apple changed the meetings from compulsory to optional in order to comply with the law. Employees were obligated to attend. People had to opt out of the meetings if they wanted to skip them.
At some point, management shifted its focus from unions to theIAM. The union's history of exclusion of minorities was brought up in order to paint it as racist. Graham DeYoung is an organizing committee member at the Apple store and says that someone made a point about the union being run by rich white men. I asked if I could see the Apple board of directors.
Managers in Atlanta shared a letter written by an employee of the New York City store about the union drive. Grand Central was affiliated with another union. The employee wrote a letter in which he said he did not support the union.
It was absurd to think that organizers were issuing death threats. The intent was to associate our organizing committee with those kinds of things when it was posted in our store.
Managers amplified the voices of anti-union employees, according to employees of both stores. When he called employee relations to complain, he was told that the employee had a right to their opinion. In Atlanta, a store leader forbade union supporters from discussing the union during work hours, but allowed anti-union staff to push their rhetoric.
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