Apple's interrogation of its New York City employees under its World Trade Center retail store has reportedly been ruled illegal by the US Labor Board.
The illegal interrogation was done after employees were found to be conducting unionization activities.
Three Democratic-appointed National Labor Relations Board members upheld the administrative judge's conclusions in their decision.
The board upheld Administrative Law Judge Lauren Esposito's ruling from the previous year, which held that Apple had unlawfully prevented employees from putting union flyers on a table in the World Trade Center store's break room, taken the flyers, and questioned employees about their protected concerted activity.
Along with ordering Apple to stop removing union flyers from the employee break area and unlawfully asking employees about union-related issues, Esposito also issued an order.
Sources state that the decision made on Monday is the board's first against Apple, which broke the story first and quoted agency spokeswoman Kayla Blado. The board cannot penalize Apple directly or with fines for its infractions.
In 2022, the US Labor Board brought legal action against Apple. According to a Communications Workers of America (CWA) official, the corporation allegedly subjected employees to interrogations, prohibited the posting of union flyers, and had them attend mandated anti-union talks at its World Trade Center store in New York City.
This is the NLRB members' first ruling against Apple. However, the organization "lacks authority to hold executives personally liable for violations or impose punitive damages."
Apple's Labor Cases
According to sources, which highlighted a case in which a member of the National Labor Relations Board accused Apple of unlawfully denying unionized workers certain benefits, there are still unresolved charges against the corporation.
In recent years, several Apple stores have decided to unionize, including those in Oklahoma City, Towson, Maryland, and Short Hills, New Jersey. The latter two sites successfully formed a union. Apple employees working outside the World Trade Center shop have also encountered resistance when attempting to create a union.
Apple New Jersey's Unionization
Unionization efforts began only recently, in April, in New Jersey. Workers at the Apple shop in New Jersey will become Communications Workers of America members. This union represents AT&T, Frontier, Verizon, and Apple Stores employees.
An operations lead at Apple's retail store in Short Hills, New Jersey, John Nagy, is aggressively pushing for Apple employees to organize a union.
He believes creating a union is essential to ensuring that every employee receives fair treatment, competitive compensation, extensive benefits, and better working conditions.
Nagy highlights that Apple should support employees' right to self-determination regarding unionization rather than interfering with its continuing organizing activities.
In late 2022, the National Labor Relations Board discovered that Apple held required anti-union meetings in an Atlanta store where the management made statements to coerce workers against them.
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(Photo: Tech Times)
