Apple violated federal law by holding mandatory "captive audience" meetings and making coercive statements with anti-union messaging, the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) Atlanta regional director has concluded. The workers at Apple's Cumberland Mall store filed for a union election with the NLRB earlier this year in a bid to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). In May, however, they withdrew their petition, and the CWA submitted an Unfair Labor Practice complaint on their behalf. 

The CWA said in its complaint at the time that Apple had "conducted mandatory 'captive audience' meetings with bargaining unit employees regarding the upcoming election." In a newer statement sent to Bloomberg, the organization said that holding meetings like that is "not only union-busting, but an example of psychological warfare." As the news organization notes, the NLRB had previously allowed companies to require employees to attend mandatory meetings prior to union elections. But Jennifer Abruzzo, the labor board's current general counsel, sees them as coercive and in violation of the law. 

The NLRB said that it will issue a complaint if the tech giant doesn't settle. While the labor board's regional director has sided with the workers and with CWA, it's still up in the air whether Apple will be required to change its policies or suffer any sort of punishment. Complaints issued by regional directors will have to go through the board's judges, and companies could approach the NLRB's board members in Washington to appeal rulings they hand down. The case could go to federal court after that. 

Apple is facing another complaint by the NLRB, which found enough merit in a report also filed by the CWA on behalf of the company's World Trade Center workers in NYC. For that particular case, Apple was accused of surveilling staff, limiting their access to pro-union fliers and forcing them to listen to anti-union speeches. If Apple doesn't settle, a judge will hear the case on December 13th. 

A group of Apple Store employees in St. Louis, Missouri has filed for a union election. On Wednesday, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the union that hopes to represent the workers, said it filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a unionization vote. IAM says it hopes to represent about 82 employees in the effort.

The union previously filed a complaint with the NLRB accusing Apple of subjecting it workers to captive audience meetings where management presented anti-union talking points. In June, IAM helped employees at the company’s Towson Town Center location in Maryland become the first Apple Store union in the US to unionize.

Apple did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. The petition comes as more of the company’s retail workers look to organize their workplace. Earlier this month, Apple Store employees in Glasgow overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the GMB Union. In doing so, Apple Glasgow is now on track to form the first unionized Apple Store in the United Kingdom. Stateside, the company has so far seen two retail locations vote to unionize, with a handful more working to organize. Employees at those stores have accused the company of employing union-busting tactics, including limiting access to pro-union fliers. In the case of Towson Town Center, organizers say the company is also withholding new benefits from union members.

Workers at an Apple Store in Glasgow, Scotland, voted on Wednesday to unionize. The vote came after “several” months of negotiations that eventually saw Apple agree to recognize the ballot voluntarily. According to The Herald, employees at the company’s Buchanan Street location, one of two stores Apple operates in Scotland’s most populous city, voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of joining the GMB Union. With the historic vote, the retail location is now on track to become the first unionized Apple Store in the United Kingdom.

Apple did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. “We have long been committed to providing an excellent experience for our customers and teams,” the company told The Herald. "Apple is one of the highest paying retailers in Scotland and we’ve regularly made enhancements to our industry-leading benefits as a part of the overall support we provide to our valued team members.”

The outcome is expected to prompt Apple Store workers at other retail locations across the UK to push forward with their own labor drives. “This is an absolutely historic vote and is a tribute to the hard work of activists and workers in Apple Glasgow,” said GMB Organizer John Slaven.

According to The Herald, organizers in Glasgow described negotiations with Apple as “consistently positive.” In the US, the company has been accused of employing union-busting tactics. In October, the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the company, saying it had found merit in claims from the Communications Workers of America. The union accused Apple of interrogating staff at its World Trade Center store in New York City and subjecting them to mandatory anti-union meetings. More recently, organizers at the company’s Towson Town Center location, the first Apple Store in the US to unionize, said the company was withholding benefits from its I AM CORE members.

A group of workers at YouTube Music Content Operations, an Alphabet subcontractor, have filed with the National Labor Relations Board for union recognition and bargaining power after a supermajority of the 58-strong group signed union cards. "As a part of the YouTube Music Content Operations team, workers ensure music content is available and approved for YouTube’s 2.1 billion monthly active users worldwide," the Alphabet Workers Union-Communications Workers of America (AWU-CWA) said in a statement.

The workers, who are based in Austin Texas, were already paying AWU-CWA dues and are now seeking bargaining rights. The AWU-CWA says those rights would force Alphabet to recognize the union as the workers' bargaining unit. The NLRB has scheduled a hearing for November 14th. The union, which was formed in January 2021, now counts nearly 1,200 Alphabet workers as members, including full-time employees as well as temporary, vendor and contract workers.

The AWU-CWA says it "won't stop organizing until all Alphabet workers (full-time, temporary, vendor and contract workers) have dignity on the job, the pay and benefits we deserve, and a seat at the table." Earlier this year, a group of Google Fiber workers in Kansas City voted to unionize with the AWU-CWA. This month, the AWU filed complaints with the NLRB, accusing the company of firing Google data center workers in retaliation for union activity. The union says Google fired two workers who attempted to discuss pay and working conditions.

“We are honored to welcome the workers of the YouTube Music Content Operations team as members of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA," Google software engineer and AWU-CWA executive chair Parul Koul said. "Google platforms like YouTube have largely been a success thanks to the labor and efforts of the thousands of contract workers that ensure quality content while being denied their fair share. We’re excited to see these workers bring Alphabet to the bargaining table and use their power to win the quality pay, benefits and rights on the job they deserve.”

Engadget has contacted Google for comment.

Amazon workers in Georgia are the latest to go public with complaints about the retail giant’s labor practices. Workers at an Atlanta warehouse joined with United For Respect, at a press conference near the company’s ATL6 warehouse to detail new unfair labor practices complaints against Amazon.

The workers, who have petitioned Amazon for a wage increase, say the retailer exploits its warehouse staff with unsafe working conditions and low wages. In a statement, United for Respect noted that the demonstration in Atlanta comes just days after Amazon’s Prime Day, when warehouse workers face particularly stressful conditions.

According to United for Respect, workers at ATL6 previously asked managers for a $5 wage increase in a petition. The company has since fired two workers and “tried to intimidate associates,” the group said. United for Respect is a nonprofit group associated with UFCW, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

“Livable wages, safer working conditions, dignity and respect for all workers is long overdue," Karen Tucker, who has worked at Amazon’s ATL6 warehouse for eight years, said in a statement. "We’re fighting for what we deserve. We are the backbone of this company and without us, there is no Amazon. It’s time for the public to hear and know what we endure to get customers’ packages out on time. It’s time for change. It’s time we held Amazon accountable towards a better Atlanta for all Amazon workers and all working people.”

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple isn't just facing unionization efforts among its retail workers. The New York Timesreports about 150 store staff went on strike for an hour Tuesday after negotiations for better pay and working conditions hit an impasse. On Wednesday, they refused to provide a mix of services that included repairing AirPods and managing deliveries. 

The striking employees showed support for unions and called for a range of improvements, including the higher income and schedules with two consecutive days off. Apple had offered staff a higher minimum wage of $27.64 AUD (about $17.35 US) in talks with unions, but the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association union called that a "real wage cut" that didn't account for inflation. That group wants a $31 AUD ($19.53 US) wage roughly equivalent to what American workers get. It's also difficult to have weekends with the current scheduling, the workers said.

As in the US, there are allegations Apple is using anti-union tactics. The Association claims Apple interfered with labor organizers trying to survey employees ahead of negotiations. Apple has supposedly tried to rush a vote on the deal.

Apple has denied rushing the vote, and said part-time workers could specify four or more days of availability. They also get schedules two weeks in advance. In a statement to The Times, the iPhone maker maintains that it's "among the highest-paying" companies in Australia and has made "many" improvements to its benefits.

The strike and task refusals were spurred in part by labor action in the US. There, workers at an increasing number of Apple stores have tried to join unions with varying success. Team members at a Towson, Maryland store managed to unionize, but reports surfaced that Apple was supposedly withholding benefits while negotiations with the union took place. At many stores, the company has apparently pushed anti-union talking points that suggested formal representation could make things worse. There's no certainty American employees will strike like their Australian counterparts, but it's evident that the outcry is getting louder.

Workers are still struggling to unionize Amazon warehouses in New York State. Staff at the company's Albany-area ALB1 warehouse have voted 406-206 against joining a union. The 31 challenged ballots aren't enough to alter the outcome. Don't expect a repeat of the Alabama vote, where there were enough disputed ballots to potentially alter the results.

As with past votes, Amazon conducted an anti-union campaign that included discouraging posters and displays in prominent locations around the ALB1 facility. While the extent of the campaign isn't yet known, the company has also been accused at other warehouses of blocking pro-union pamphlets, retaliating against labor organizers and generally interfering with elections. ALB1 employees have been trying to form a union since at least May, and succeeded with an August petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold an election.

We've asked Amazon for comment. In a statement, the ALU said this was a "sham election" and accused Amazon of violating labor law through tactics that included intimidation and retaliation. While the union didn't outline its formal response to the vote, it stressed that this "won't be the end" of the organization at ALB1.

Pro-union forces haven't had many victories at Amazon buildings. While those at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island voted to unionize, others at the nearby LDJ5 opted against it. That's on top of the failed Alabama vote and Amazon's reported attempts to quash labor movements in places like Maryland's DMD9 facility. While there's still a mounting labor movement that has prompted walkouts and impromptu strikes, they haven't had much practical impact.

Amazon has occasionally addressed the concerns of workers by raising wages. It has a history of opposing reforms to working conditions, though. For now, the company is only expected to improve conditions and reinstate fired workers in response to NLRB-linked orders and government legislation.

The Apple Store workers who'd been planning to unionize since at least early this year have come long way from using encrypted chats to organize in secret. In June, an Apple Store in Maryland became the first location to unionize in the US. Now, another retail location in Oklahoma City has voted in favor of unionization, becoming the second Apple Store in the US to organize officially. According to The Wall Street Journal, the group is calling itself the Penn Square Labor Alliance, because the store is located at Oklahoma City's Penn Square Mall.

Around 100 employees are eligible for union membership in the store. Based on the information released by the National Labor Relations Board, 56 of those workers voted in favor of forming a union, while 32 voted against. The group is now planning to join the Communications Workers of America, which also represents workers from companies like AT&T and Verizon. Charity Lassiter, an employee at the Oklahoma City store and a member of the organizing committee, told The Journal: "Now that we've won the election, it is our hope that management will come to the table so that we may collectively work towards building a company that prioritizes workers over profit and encourages employees to thrive."

Meanwhile, an Apple spokesperson told the publication in a statement: "We believe the open, direct and collaborative relationship we have with our valued team members is the best way to provide an excellent experience for our customers, and for our teams. We're proud to provide our team members with strong compensation and exceptional benefits."

Previous reports indicate that Apple has been finding ways to dissuade workers to unionize. Just a few days ago, Bloomberg reported that the tech giant is offering its employees new perks, such as additional health benefits and funding for educational opportunities. However, the tech giant will reportedly withhold those benefits from unionized members who'll now have to negotiate for them. Back when talks about worker's organizing efforts started heating up, the company reportedly armed its managers with anti-union talking points. Employees formally accused the tech giant of union busting, and the NLRB found merit in the claims that Apple surveilled staff, limited access to pro-union fliers and help captive audience meetings to deliver its anti-union messaging. A hearing is scheduled to take place in December before an NLRB judge unless all parties involved agree on a settlement. 

Apple is reportedly declining to offer new benefits to employees at its only unionized retail store. According to Bloomberg, the unionized workers at the store in Towson, Maryland, will need to negotiate for benefits with Apple as they hash out a collective bargaining agreement. The perks in question haven't been announced publicly as yet, but they're said to include additional health plan benefits in some jurisdictions, funds to take educational classes and a free Coursera membership.

The report suggests that by withholding benefits from the unionized workers, who have organized Apple may be dissuading workers at other retail stores from attempting to form a union. Workers at an Oklahoma City location are set to vote in a union election this week. Apple has faced labor tensions on other fronts, with some staff resisting a mandate to return to the company's offices (a stance that Apple eventually backed down from). The company has also been accused of union busting.

Withholding perks from unionized workers or those who plan to organize is not exactly a new issue. Starbucks has provided some benefits to non-union cafes, and claimed it couldn't offer them to unionized locations in one fell swoop. In April, Activision Blizzard said workers who were organizing at Raven Software (they've since voted to form a union) were ineligible for raises due to its legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act. The National Labor Relations Board determined last month that the company withheld raises due to the workers' union activity.

The workers at Apple's Towson store will soon start formal union contract negotiations with Apple. Engadget has contacted the company for comment. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (I AM CORE) provided the following statement to Engadget:

“Despite the news from Apple today, our goal is still the same. We are urging Apple to negotiate in good faith so we can reach an agreement over the next few weeks. The IAM CORE negotiating committee is dedicated to securing a deal that gives our IAM CORE members the proper respect and dignity at work and sets the standard in the tech industry.”

The cafeteria workers at Waymo's offices are forming a union, according to NBC News. As the news organization notes, that makes them the latest group of people to organize at one of Silicon Valley's most prominent companies. Waymo's food service personnel are also following in the footsteps of the 4,000 Google cafeteria workers who quietly unionized during the COVID-19 pandemic. The autonomous driving tech company used to be an experimental unit under Google before it became an Alphabet subsidiary. 

Like Google's other food service workers, Waymo's are employed by contracting firm Sodexo. Workers cited the high cost of living in the Bay Area where Alphabet's offices are located as the reason why they want to unionize. They said their $24-per-hour pay isn't enough to live adequately in the city, where rents are astronomical, and that their health plan is prohibitively expensive. The workers are also asking for better treatment and benefits, since they don't enjoy the same perks as full-time Alphabet employees. 

Organizers for the unionization efforts at Waymo told NBC News that they've already gathered signatures from majority of the workers. Sodexo said that it "respects the rights of [its] employees to unionize or not to unionize" but didn't say whether it will voluntarily recognize the union. If it does, the workers will have to file for an NLRB election to be able to join the other Alphabet cafeteria workers at Unite Here.