According to reports, the Communications Workers Association of America (CWA) today charged Apple Inc, saying its retail store in New York’s World Trade Center violated federal labour laws. In a filing with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), CWA claims Apple interrogates and spies on employees. It also claims that the company restricts them from posting union flyers and forces them to attend anti-union speeches.
CWA’s move comes at a time when employees across several U.S. retail stores are taking steps to unionize, including New York’s Grand Central, Atlanta and Maryland. Last month, employees at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal store in New York began aggressively planning to unionize and made their first demand. One of their major demand is to earn at least $30 an hour in pay, among other benefits.
In addition, Apple employees at the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, began working with the CWA in an attempt to file for union elections. Meanwhile, Apple has hired anti-union lawyers at Littler Mendelson, the nation’s largest labour law firm, to try to prevent workers from unionizing.
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Apple employees feel they deserve more
Tim Dubnau, a CWA executive, said today: “Apple retail employees across the country are demanding a voice at work and a place at the negotiating table. But unfortunately, with their stated values contrary to that, Apple’s response was a little different from other companies. It is employing high-handed tactics designed to intimidate and coerce workers.”
A spokesman for the CWA did not respond to a request for comment. Similarly, an Apple spokesman also did not respond. Yesterday, the CWA also filed another allegation that Apple violated federal labour laws by holding a “mandatory meeting”. It claims that this meeting holds at a Cumberland Mall retail store in Atlanta.
The CWA said Apple held mandatory meetings during business hours to pressure employees to prevent them from joining a union. It also interrogates workers about organizing events and distributes union-bashing materials such as videos and flyers. This is a controversial act. In addition to Apple, companies like Amazon and Starbucks are also working hard to prevent workers from unionizing.
An Apple Store employee claims managers are pulling employees aside and giving speeches. The managers are saying that the company may have to take action against the employees. This could hurt employees, lower wages, and force the company to strip them of benefits and opportunities. They said managers pretend to be doing other things but were actually trying to eavesdrop on employees. The salary standard offered by Apple is generally in line with the salary of other retail jobs. Yet there is no doubt that Apple is currently one of the most profitable companies in the world. Thus, these employees feel they should share more of their compensation.
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