Apple who are well known for their ‘controlling’ work environment has had a major win against unions after they sacked several store employees, but that has not stopped them being accused by a Government body of threatening workers.
In the US, the National Labor Relations Board the equivalent of Australia’s Fair Work Commission, has dismissed serious allegations levelled against Apple after they terminated five workers who helped organize union activity at one of its retail stores.Apple claims that the workers were fired for failing to turn up for work, showing up late and failing to properly log in their attendance at the Apple Store.
The union who lost their case claim that the workers were actually fired for their unionization efforts, they also claim that Apple mistreated workers.The independent board originally dismissed the firing allegations last October, but the union filed an appeal in November.
Last week the NLRB rejected the appeal, telling the CWA “that the evidence was insufficient to show that the employer discharged the employees because of their protected activities rather than the legitimate business reasons relied on by the employer.”The general counsel’s office of the NLRB determined that Apple did violate the law in other ways, including by coercing employees to waive their legal rights, threatening them with worse working conditions because they supported a union, and interrogating them about their Labor activism members of the board claimed.The general counsel’s office also found that Apple violated the law by holding mandatory “captive audience” anti-union meetings.
“We strongly deny these claims and look forward to providing the full set of facts to the NLRB,” Apple said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.
Apple has clashed with union groups and the US Labor board over the last two years as retail stores push to unionise. So far, only two locations — Oklahoma City and Towson, Maryland — have successfully unionized.
This weekend, the Towson location will vote on whether to authorise a strike ahead of new bargaining talks with Apple.
The two sides have reached a series of agreements, but none of the terms represent a big change from Apple’s existing policies claims Bloomberg.
