Atlanta Apple workers withdraw union election bid
The Cumberland Mall store would've been Apple's first unionized retail location if its election was successful
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Retail workers at Apple's Cumberland Mall store in Atlanta have withdrawn their request to hold a union election this week.
In April, the employees filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board after over 70% of the location's more than 100 eligible employees signed union authorization cards. The group, which includes Apple salespeople, technicians, creatives and operations specialists, were seeking representation from the Communications Workers of America.
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The Cumberland Mall store would've been Apple's first unionized retail location if its election was successful.
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The CWA told FOX Business in a statement that Apple's "repeated violations of the National Labor Relations Act have made a free and fair election impossible." In addition, the labor group said rising numbers of COVID infections among store employees raised concerns about the ability of eligible employees to vote and the safety of in-person voting.
"An overwhelming majority of the workers at the Cumberland Mall Store announced that they were forming a union in April and requested recognition from the company," the CWA added. "Since then Apple has conducted a systematic, sophisticated campaign to intimidate them and interfere with their right to form a union. This behavior violates U.S. law, the principles of Apple's credo and vendor code of conduct, and international human rights standards."
People visit the Apple store at the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer (REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer)
According to the Cumberland Mall Apple Retail Union Organizing Committee, Apple spent tens of thousands of dollars to pay a third-party law firm to "aggressively and deceitfully union bust" in the store and interfere with workers' legal right to organize.
Earlier this month, the CWA filed an unfair labor practice charge accusing the tech giant of violating the National Labor Relations Act by requiring the Atlanta workers to "listen to anti-union propaganda during mandatory ‘daily download’ meetings."
A separate unfair labor practice charge has been filed on behalf of workers at Apple's World Trade Center store in New York City, alleging that the company has engaged in illegal activities including "interrogating staff, surveillance, restricting the posting of union fliers and requiring employees to attend mandatory anti-union speeches."
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In response to FOX Business' requests for comment, an Apple spokesperson reiterated the company's previous statement that it is "fortunate to have incredible retail team members" and "deeply values everything they bring" to Apple.
They also tout "strong compensation and benefits for full-time and part-time employees," including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave and annual stock grants.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company recently said it would raise starting pay for hourly workers from $20 to $22 or higher based on the market.
"Our union predicted Apple would give us this raise, since this same law firm advised Starbucks, and they too got a big raise when they started to organize," the Atlanta employees said. "They've never taken us more seriously than when we decided to join together, and it should tell us something."
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Though the Cumberland Mall store's union election will not proceed as planned, Apple continues to face a growing unionization push from other locations.
Apple employees in Towson, Maryland are planning to hold a union election on June 15. In addition, Apple employees at Grand Central Terminal in New York City began collecting signatures in April to start the unionization process and workers in Louisville, Kentucky have reportedly announced plans to unionize.
"We're going to reset and strengthen our union. We can share our experience with other stores to help them really prepare for what's coming their way," Apple's Cumberland Mall workers added. "While we would have loved to have been the first to vote, our greatest concern has always been for the welfare of our people, and it's just not our time this time."
"We're going to continue this fight, because the union is us. We deserve to have a voice and a seat at the table about our working conditions, and hoping things get better isn't enough, the message concluded. "We will need to find our common ground and organize collectively. We are still stronger together."
Apple has over 500 retail locations worldwide, including more than 270 in the United States.