National Labor Authority Alleges Nationwide Implementation of Unlawful Policies by Tech Giant Apple for All Employees
Apple Faces Multiple Complaints from NLRB over Unionization Allegations
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has taken action against Apple, alleging the tech giant has violated labour laws in relation to its employees' unionization efforts.
In June of 2023, the NLRB regional office in Oakland, California filed a complaint against Apple, accusing the company of illegally firing, disciplining, threatening, and interrogating an employee for engaging in protected union activity at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. This complaint follows another filed by the NLRB's Atlanta office in December 2022, which accused Apple of interrogating employees and forcing them to attend anti-union meetings.
The NLRB has also claimed that Apple has maintained a series of illegal policies for its employees nationwide, including confidentiality agreements, non-disclosure policies, non-compete policies, misconduct policies, and social media policies. These policies, the NLRB asserts, violate the National Labor Relations Act.
The agency is investigating a further 30 cases across 11 states that could potentially add to the list of complaints against Apple. Three more complaints from regional offices are pending an administrative judge's ruling because a settlement wasn't reached.
In a significant development, the NLRB's Los Angeles office has alleged that Apple imposed "numerous" unlawful rules on workers at its stores. However, the person investigating the responsible party of the Apple subsidiary in the United States for illegal working conditions in the complaint filed by the NLRB in Los Angeles is not specified in the provided search results.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite these allegations, employees at two Apple stores—in Oklahoma City and Towson, Maryland—have successfully formed unions. The Oklahoma City store workers ratified their first contract with the company last week, a month after voting to authorize a strike. The case is scheduled for a hearing before an administrative law judge in January.
The NLRB spent years investigating the allegations and filed the complaint last week after failing to reach a settlement with Apple. Both the Oakland (June 2023) and Atlanta (December 2022) cases are awaiting rulings from NLRB administrative law judges.
Over the past two years, Apple has entered into six settlement agreements with the NLRB and the associated unions to resolve unfair labor practice charges. The outcome of these ongoing cases could have significant implications for Apple and the tech industry as a whole.
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