Unionizing is the workers' way of having a united voice in demanding fair treatment from the companies they work for. Should a company hold a meeting regarding that right, the workers might think that their superiors are meddling to avoid such events, which is what happened with Apple.
Apple's Passive Warning
The company held meetings in its 270 US-based stores to discuss potential unions and what the risk of it is. Some have taken it as somewhat of a warning and attempted to undermine such notions before they even happen.
Managers began the meeting with a statement from corporate leadership, which was seen as a prepared speech by those who listened. It was followed by a discussion about the union negotiations in Townson, Maryland, which is where the first unionized store is.
Bloomberg reports that the cast election at Maryland's complicated process was presented as somewhat of a "cautionary tale," so that workers would think twice before they even make plans for unionizing against the company.
Although Apple did not explicitly say it, the company seems to want to convey that having their store unionize may have them at a disadvantage, as mentioned in Engadget, which may sound like a scare tactic to employees.
The National Labor Relations Board general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo believes that these kinds of meetings are a violation of the National Labors Act, which she expressed back in 2022 when Apple Store employees in Atlanta were subjected to an "anti-union captive audience meeting."
Abaruzzo stated that forcing employees to listen to an employer's speech under threat of discipline, which leverages the employees' dependence on their jobs, "plainly chills employees' protected right" to choose not to listen to the speech.
Apple's Actions Toward Unions
Apple doesn't have a good track record when it came to dealing with unions. The way the company dealt with the first union election caught the attention of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after the labor union filed a complaint.
The tech giant was accused of using illegal union-busting tactics by interrogating workers and influencing voting. Employees were required to attend anti-union meetings daily, wherein the NLRB deemed was illegal, as mentioned in Tech Crunch.
CWA Organizing Director Tom Smith stated that Apple executives think that the rules don't apply to them. He added that holding an illegal forced captive audience meeting is both union-busting and an example of "psychological warfare."
Although Apple has been trying to discourage workers from unionizing to get fair treatment, Apple workers have already won two unions, which are in Oklahoma City and Maryland. Apple Vice President of People and Retail Deirdre O'Brien expressed his concerns.
The Apple executive said that he was worried that the union would bring its own legally mandated rules, which would determine how they would work through issues. He added that it could make it harder for the company to act fast when addressing the concerns raised.
To an outsider, it might even sound like Apple is passively telling its employees that unionizing will mean that it'll take longer for them to get their due, which could land Apple in more trouble than they already are with the NLRB.
