Through the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) employees have the legal right to form a union in their workplace and engage in collective action around work issues. The law bars employers from anti-union and anti-organizing retaliation ranging from asking what your opinion on your union is all the way to threatening, harassing, disciplining, transfering, and a wide range of other behaviors intended to curb organizing.
Employees covered under the National Labor Relations Act have the legal right to form a union in their workplace. The NLRA States:
- Section 7: “Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations to bargain collectively through representation of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining…”
- Section 8: “It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer… to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Section 7…”
You can view the full text of the NLRA on the National Labor Relations Board's website.
We believe that the right to engage in "concerted collective activity" (labor law jargon for workplace organizing) covers not just organizing around wages, conditions, and hours, but also the ethical use of our labor, diversity and inclusion, and so much more.
It Is Illegal For Your Employer To
- Make promises, bribe, or favor employees to convince them not to form a union;
- Ask you what your opinion about the union is;
- Threaten to fire or fire you for supporting the union;
- Harass, discipline, transfer you to another location, call center, or other worksite for supporting the union.
Apple Is Using The Same Union Busting Tactics As Other Large Companies
Apple has hired a union busting law firm - Littler Mendelson - to train managers on how to convince you not to join a union. This is the same “union avoidance” law firm that Starbucks is using. Apple emailed Store Leads with talking points to use to discourage you from joining a union. These talking points are from the union busting playbook that employers have been using for decades to prevent workers from organizing unions.
Safety Through Organizing
Despite the vast majority of workers having the federally protected right to organize, we know that labor law in the U.S. is far from perfect and it fails to cover independent contractors and others. Yet, we know through experience that our greatest protections stem from our collective strength and solidarity when we are organized together.
Let's get stronger so we can make lasting improvements at Apple. Contact us to learn more about how to organize and join the Apple Retail Union at your store.