Apple promises ‘good faith’ negotiations with unions, but its history suggests otherwise
Apple had both bad and good news over the weekend, with one unionized Apple Store moving closer to the company’s first retail strike, and another rejecting unionization.
The potential work stoppage would come in Towson, Md., where the local Apple Store became the first to unionize a couple years ago. On Saturday, workers at the facility voted in favor of authorizing a strike, which means they’ve given their union—the (deep breath) International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, or IAM CORE—the right to set a date for a walkout.
IAM CORE has been negotiating with Apple for over a year, about issues around work-life balance, unpredictable shift scheduling, and wage levels. “As discussions with Apple management continue, we remain committed to securing tangible improvements that benefit all employees,” the union’s negotiating committee said in a statement.
An Apple spokesperson said the company would engage with the union negotiators “respectfully and in good faith.” That would mark quite a shift from the company’s previous practices, as ruled upon a week ago by the National Labor Relations Board, which found that Apple had broken labor law during a 2022 unionization drive in New York.
In that case, involving the Apple Store across the road from the World Trade Center, a complaint from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) alleged that management confiscated flyers that had been placed on the breakroom table—while leaving non-union-related materials unscathed—and interrogated workers about their union involvement. The NLRB agreed Apple had broken the law with these actions, and ordered the firm to tell its workers it wouldn’t do it again.
A couple days later, the CWA filed a new unfair labor practice charge against Apple for allegedly retaliating against John Nagy, an operations lead at the Apple Store in Short Hills, N.J., who was a key organizer in that outlet’s unionization drive. The union said Apple had subjected Nagy, an Army veteran, to “unprecedented multiple meetings with his supervisor and denying requests for leave, including on Memorial Day.”
The Short Hills Apple Store workers voted on Friday and Saturday, ultimately deciding not to join the CWA—which then accused Apple of “union-busting.” An Apple spokesperson said the company "strongly" denies those claims.
Of course, Apple isn’t the only Big Tech firm to face the NLRB’s ire over its anti-union practices. The agency also this month came down on Amazon CEO Andy Jassy over his unlawful public claim that unionization would disempower employees—though both that instance and last week’s Apple ruling served as reminders that the agency can do little more in such cases than tell a company to stop its violations.
But nonetheless, let’s hope that Apple really does in future deal with its workers’ organized representatives "respectfully and in good faith.” More news below.
David Meyer
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This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
