Apple is once again facing accusations of cracking down on union organizers. The Communications Workers of America union (CWA) has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) asserting that Apple illegally intimidated and fired workers at Houston and Kansas City, Missouri stores in retaliation for their labor organization efforts. The ex-employees in Kansas City were ostensibly cut loose for being slightly late, calling out from work or even making typos in timesheets, but were also made to sign a "release of all claims" to get their severance pay. They couldn't challenge Apple's practices once they left, in other words.

In Houston, Apple allegedly questioned workers individually about their union support and offered improved conditions if they dropped their labor support. Those that persisted in pro-union activity were disciplined and threatened with deteriorating conditions, the CWA claims.

Only two US stores, in Oklahoma City and Towson, Maryland, unionized in 2022. Abroad, a store in Glasgow became the third. Other employees, such as those in St. Louis, Missouri, have filed for union elections. Staff in Atlanta called off a vote last spring after accusing Apple of intimidation tactics.

We've asked Apple for comment. The company has historically opposed unionization efforts, reportedly holding mandatory anti-union meetings. Apple is also said to have withheld benefits from unionized workers at the Towson store while claiming that they needed to strike a collective bargaining agreement. The firm has tried to head off labor movements by raising wages, expanding benefits and relaxing schedules.

Fights between tech giants and their rank-and-file workers aren't new. Labor organization in tech reached a fever pitch in 2022, with workers at companies like Activision Blizzard, Amazon and Microsoft either unionizing or making their displeasure known. Those brands, meanwhile, have frequently tried to block unionization attempts. The CWA's charges suggest those battles are continuing well into the new year.

Bandcamp has always been known as an artist-friendly alternative to streaming services like Spotify, where you can buy music directly from the musicians themselves. Now, workers at the Epic-owned online audio distributor want to ensure that they're treated as well as its creators by forming a union called Bandcamp United. According to Rolling Stone and TechCrunch, a majority of workers are in favor of unionizing, and all 62 of its non-managerial and non-supervisory personnel in the US will make up its bargaining unit. Those 62 workers are composed of support staff, designers, engineers, writers and other roles within the platform. 

Apparently, Bandcamp's personnel have been quietly working on their organizing efforts since last summer. They ultimately decided to join Tech Workers Union Local 1010 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union, which is the same group that helped full-time Kickstarter employees organize back in 2020. Based on the mission statement written on Bandcamp United's website, the group aims to fix pay disparities and promote "equitable conditions and economic stability." They want to make sure workers have access to paid time off and that their salaries "will grow to meet economic necessity."

Rolling Stone says they're also looking to address management's lack of transparency after Epic's takeover last year. Workers were reportedly asked to sign new employment contracts when the Fortnite developer acquired the platform, and they were given a limited amount of time to review its terms with no room for negotiations. 

Ethan Diamond, Bandcamp's CEO, told the publications that management is "aware that some... employees are seeking to organize a union and [is] reviewing the petition to understand their concerns." Bandcamp United has already filed for a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to administer a union election and will hold one to make things official once it gets approved. 

TCGplayer, the eBay-owned trading card marketplace, is facing its fourth unfair labor charge in the space of two months. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) claimed that, one business day after TCGplayer employees voted to form eBay's first union last Friday, the company fired a worker for engaging in union activity.

The CWA called the firing of worker Iris St. Lucy “retaliatory” in the wake of the election. The union claims that TCGplayer “management has escalated its anti-union war against workers” as a result of the vote. All non-supervisory workers at TCGplayer's authentication center in Syracuse, New York (who numbered 272 as of Friday) are now represented by the union.

Since TCGplayer workers announced their second unionization attempt in January, the CWA has filed three other unfair labor charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Among other things, the CWA has accused the company of requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings, interrogating workers and monitoring those who wore clothing or badges that identified them as supporters of TCGunion-CWA, the union they eventually formed under the CWA.

“Not only are eBay and TCGplayer violating labor law, the company is undermining its workers’ rights to union representation, fair wages, dignity on the job and the ability to support their families," CWA secretary-treasurer Sara Steffens said in a statement. "TCGplayer needs to stop these attacks and commit to bargaining a contract in good faith.”

Engadget has contacted TCGplayer for comment.

The workers at eBay-owned TCGPlayer, a marketplace for trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering, have voted in favor of joining a union. eBay purchased the company in 2022 for a deal valued up to $295 million, but the website continues to operate independently. Now that all 272 non-supervisory workers at the company's authentication center in Syracuse, New York are represented by the Communications Workers of America, they've become the first group to form a union at eBay in the US. 

The organized workers, who are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and quality of all shipments in and out of the company, filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board back in January. They wanted to unionize in a bid to have a voice within the company, and they were also seeking pay raises to account for inflation, a fair and comprehensive sick leave and absence policy, as well as inclusive career advancement opportunities, fair and transparent hiring practices, and clearly defined job roles and expectations.

In the CWA's announcement of the union victory, it said TCGPlayer workers first tried to unionize in 2020. However, the company hired a union buster to "spread disinformation," and the workers ultimately withdrew their petition for a vote due to the pandemic. While they were successful this time around, their employer reportedly tried to get them to back down again. CWA filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company in January for illegally surveilling union activity. It filed more charges just last week, accusing the company of threatening workers for supporting unionization efforts and forcing them to attend anti-union meetings, as well. The unionized workers are still waiting for the NLRB's decision on those complaints.

Tesla workers at the company's Buffalo Gigafactory have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accusing Twitter of "shadowbanning" their newly made union account, according to Vice News. The group announced their intention to unionize on February 14th — they even posted a public statement on Twitter about "seeking a voice on the job." However, the group's tweets stopped appearing in search results by the next day, indicating that their account had been shadowbanned. 

"In February 2023, immediately following workers announcing a union campaign at the Tesla Gigafactory 2 facility, the above-named employer, through CEO Elon Musk and/or his agents and representatives, caused the Union's Twitter account (@united_tesla) to be shadow banned from the Twitter platform," The group said in an NLRB filing made by Workers United, the union backing the campaign. 

We've confirmed that when you do a search for "united_tesla" or "TeslaWorkersUnited," the results don't include any tweets posted by the account itself. Usually, searching for a user would surface their tweets, but when you use those search terms, you'll only see results tagging the group or mentioning their name. A group spokesperson told Vice News that they ran a shadowban test and found that their account "had been 'search suggestion banned' on the one platform [their] employer owns."

Tesla chief Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 billion last year, is known to be a staunch union critic. In 2018, he tweeted that there was nothing stopping Tesla workers from joining a union in response to someone asking about reports that the company had anti-union management. However, he also asked: "[W]hy pay union dues [and] give up stock options for nothing[?]" The NLRB ruled that the tweet violated labor laws, deeming it as a threat that employees would be giving up company-paid stock options if they unionize. It also asked Musk to delete his tweet, which he has yet to do, as Tesla is currently appealing the labor board's decision.

The workers behind this particular campaign are in charge of labeling data from Tesla's Autopilot technology. They previously told Bloomberg that they're asking the company not just for better pay, but also for better working conditions. The workers said Tesla monitors their keystrokes to determine how much time they spend on each task, and that they've had to skip bathroom breaks as a result. They also accused the company of illegally terminating employees "in retaliation for... and to discourage union activity."

In a blog post, Tesla said that was a "false allegation" and that the terminated Autopilot employees were low performers. It said the company conducts performance reviews every six months and that the affected workers didn't "demonstrate sufficient improvement" despite the feedback they received. Further, the company said that it identified the employees it was going to fire back on February 3rd, long before the group announced that they were seeking to unionize. The automaker also said that it only implements time monitoring "to calculate how long it takes to label an image," so "there is nothing to be gained by delaying bathroom breaks."

Earlier this week, it was reported that Tesla workers in the company's Buffalo, New York Autopilot facility had sent a letter to CEO Elon Musk stating their attention to unionize. Now, organizers at the same location are accusing the company of illegally terminating employees "in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity," Bloomberg has reported. 

In a filing with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Workers United union accused Tesla of attempting to discourage its organizing activities. It has asked for a federal court injunction to "prevent irreparable destruction of employee rights resulting from Tesla’s unlawful conduct." Several of the employees let go had been involved in labor discussion, and one was the member of an organizing committee. 

"This is a form of collective retaliation... designed to terrify everyone about potential consequences of them organizing, as well as to attempt to cull the herd," Workers United organizer Jaz Brisack told Bloomberg. (Engadget has contacted Tesla for comment, but doesn't anticipate a reply given the company no longer has a dedicated press office.)

Employees involved in the campaign are in charge of labeling data for Tesla's Autopilot technology. The group is asking for better pay, job security and a work environment that reduces production pressures. The group previously said that Tesla engages in keystroke monitoring to see how long they spend on tasks, and shut down an internal chatroom used for airing grievances. 

Following the earlier report, Tesla issued a directive to "protect the confidentiality, integrity and security of all Tesla business information." However, one employee said the terminations are galvanizing, rather than intimidating workers. "It's pretty clear the message they're sending," said Sara Constatino. "And it's really I think backfiring on them." The NLRB will now investigate the claims and could prosecute them before a judge if it finds merit. 

A group of Tesla workers in New York has sent company chief Elon Musk a letter stating their intention to unionize, according to Bloomberg. It could end up being the first Tesla union if successful, seeing as previous attempts fizzled out before organizers could petition for a vote. The employees involved in the campaign are in charge of labeling data for Tesla's Autopilot technology at the company's Buffalo, New York facility. Bloomberg says the group is asking for better pay, job security and a better work environment that eases the production pressures placed on them. 

Workers told the news organization that they've been skipping bathroom breaks, since Tesla keeps a close eye on their every move. Apparently, the company monitors their keystrokes to see how long they spend on each particular task and how much time they spend working per day. They also said that the company shut down an internal chatroom where they can air their grievances, such as the how Tesla handles snow days. It was after that happened that the group started talking about unionizing. They're now planning to distribute Valentine-themed materials at the facility with links to a website where employees can sign union cards. 

The employees are working with Service Employees International Union affiliate Workers United, which unionized Starbucks cafes across the US. While Workers United has a good track record, the group still faces a tough road ahead, considering Elon Musk is known to be a staunch critic of unions. In 2017, he fired back against allegations of poor working conditions at Tesla's Fremont factory and criticized the United Auto Workers (UAW) for inciting the company's workers to unionize. He said UAW's allegiance is in "giant car companies, where the money they take from employees in dues is vastly more than they could ever make from Tesla."

Last year, he also challenged UAW to hold a union vote, claiming that Tesla's (non-unionized) factory workers have the highest compensation in the auto industry. And let's not forget one of his perhaps most infamous tweets regarding unionization. In 2018, he tweeted that there's nothing stopping Tesla's workers from unionizing, but then he added: "why pay union dues [and] give up stock options for nothing?" The NLRB asked Musk to delete his post, deeming it as a threat that employees would be giving up company-paid stock options if they join a union. The tweet in question is still live, and Tesla is still appealing the labor board's ruling. 

Months after a successful vote, Apple Store employees in Glasgow have become the company's first retail workers to form a union in the UK. Apple and the trade union GMB Scotland have signed a collective bargaining agreement that theoretically gives staff at the Buchanan Street store more clout when pushing for improved working conditions.

The Glasgow employees voted to unionize in November. They sought better pay, increased wage transparency and improved shift scheduling. Union negotiators characterized talks with Apple as positive, but it took several months before workers cast ballots.

GMB organizer John Slaven calls the union vote "historic." In a statement to The Herald, Apple says it's one of the "highest paying" retail brands in Scotland, and offers "industry-leading benefits" to employees. Apple raised starting wages for store workers last year in response to mounting labor action, but it also faces formal complaints over alleged union busting tactics.

These aren't the first Apple retail employees to create unions. In addition to teams in Europe, some stores in the US voted to unionize last year. The Glasgow move adds to the momentum, however, and may help other UK store workers pursuing their own unionization efforts.

YouTube Music workers in the Austin, TX area who voted to unionize are striking. The Alphabet Works Union-CWA (AWU-CWA), which represents the contractors, says this is the first time a group of Google-affiliated workers has gone on strike.

Cognizant, an Alphabet subcontractor, staffs the (more than 40) striking workers. They say Alphabet’s current return-to-office date of February 6th threatens their safety and livelihoods since their $19-per-hour pay makes it hard to afford relocation, travel and healthcare costs. The AWU-CWA says most contractors were hired to work remotely, and nearly a quarter of them don’t live in Texas.

The YouTube workers say Alphabet and Cognizant only announced the abrupt return to office after they had already voted to unionize. Additionally, they accuse managers of sending work to other offices to “chill” the union efforts while adding that a supervisor made implicit anti-union threats. Finally, the workers have appealed to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to be recognized as “jointly employed” by Cognizant and Alphabet; the designation would force Alphabet to negotiate based on US labor laws.

Although it wasn’t a labor strike, 20,000 Google workers from 50 offices participated in a 2018 walkout. That movement was in response to the company’s practice of rewarding executives accused of misconduct.

The YouTube Music strike began at noon EST today outside of the Austin Google Office. If you live elsewhere, you can check in on a livestream of the strike on Facebook.

Last month, Amazon failed to overturn a Staten Island warehouse's vote to unionize and now it has taken another loss. A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge has ruled that the the company broke federal labor laws in an effort to push back a unionization drive at that facility and another that voted against the union, The New York Times has reported. Amazon can still appeal the ruling to the NLRB's Washington board.

Federal administrative judge Benjamin Green ruled that Amazon supervisors unlawfully threatened wage increases and benefits if workers formed a union. The company also violated the law by removing a worker's post on a digital message board inviting co-workers to sign an Amazon Labor Union petition to make Juneteenth a paid holiday, the judge said. 

Several other complaints by the union were dismissed, however. Those include accusations that Amazon said take-home pay would fall in the case of unionization, and that it promised improvements in an educational subsidy program if workers voted against the union. The union also protested Amazon saying workers would be fired if they formed a union but failed to pay union dues. The latter was not illegal, the judge ruled, and the other complaints were overstated.

Amazon took all that as a positive. "We’re glad that the judge dismissed 19 — nearly all — of the allegations in this case," said spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis in a statement to the NYT. "The facts continue to show that the teams in our buildings work hard to do the right thing."

The judge set aside one decision brought by the labor board as to whether employers can force workers to attend anti-union meetings. That puts the ball in the court of the NLRB, which can overturn a 75-year old ruling. "I believe that the NLRB case precedent, which has tolerated such meetings, is at odds with fundamental labor-law principles," the labor board's lawyer Jennifer Abruzzo wrote in a memo last year.