There were several stories in the news last week about plans by Apple Store employees to unionize. While Apple has yet to make a public announcement about unionization plans, it is already working with anti-union lawyers to stop those efforts.
Recent cases of trade union negotiations
Apple Store employees at Grand Central in New York have begun the process of unionizing. These employees strive to improve the quality of their working conditions, earn more vacation time and higher pensions, and secure a minimum wage of $30 an hour. A few days later it became known that the employees of the Apple Store store in Atlanta would be the first in the country to announce a union election. Employees there ask for the same benefits as in a New York store.
Littler Mendelsohn also represents Starbucks.
The Verge reports that Apple is working with San Francisco-based law firm Littler Mendelson to ease tensions in union disputes. Littler Mendelsohn also represents Starbucks to stop its partners from organizing a union. The firm previously helped McDonald’s in 2014 when workers demanded $15 an hour.
By keeping the infamous anti-union firm Littler Mendelson, Apple management is showing that it is determined to try to prevent its employees from exercising their right to join a union, using the same scenario as other large corporations,” said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Sarah Steffens. “Employees at Starbucks, another Littler customer, are not buying into this, and neither are Apple employees.
An anonymous Apple Store employee in New York told The Verge that the company has been distributing anti-union messages during meetings. “There is a lot of disinformation that is being circulated to intimidate the masses,” the employee said. I think they are panicking.
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Apple declined to comment to The Verge regarding the hiring of Littler Mendelsohn for his anti-union activities.
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