CWA - Communications Workers of America
05/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/08/2024 09:59
CWA Charges Apple With Additional Labor Law Violations
With a union election scheduled to start on Friday, Apple has retaliated against a leader of the organizing drive in Short Hills, N.J.
Short Hills, N.J. - The Communications Workers of America have filed an unfair labor practice charge against Apple for retaliating against a leader of the Short Hills, N.J., store organizing drive by denying requests for leave and subjecting him to unprecedented multiple meetings with his supervisor.
This charge comes as the workers in Short Hills are scheduled to begin voting in their union election on Friday, May 8. The voting ends on May 9. Earlier this week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that Apple had illegally interrogated staff at its World Trade Center store during their organizing drive in 2022. The NLRB also determined that the company had broken the law by confiscating union flyers and prohibiting the distribution of flyers in the store's break room.
"I have been open about my support of the union, and I think that Apple was trying to send a message by targeting me for supposed 'failures to communicate' and preventing me from using my accrued leave," said John Nagy, an Operations Lead at the Short Hills store. "Well, they certainly have sent a message, and that message is that they are not respecting our right to decide whether or not to have a union, and they are not living up to their credo. Apple has been found guilty of violating workers' rights now just about every time their employees seek a voice at work. It's up to us to live up to Apple's stated values and do what's best for ourselves and our customers. That's why we are forming this union."
Apple has been found guilty of numerous labor law violations, including in 2023, when the NLRB found that the company had illegally prohibited workers from discussing their wages. Last month, the NLRB awarded a settlement to Oklahoma City Apple Store workers to compensate them for sick pay Apple had unlawfully withheld.
A copy of the ULP is available upon request.
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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.