IAM CORE files another unfair labor practice charge against Apple with NLRB

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited July 2023

Negotiations between Apple and its single unionized store in Maryland reach deadlock as IAM CORE files an unfair labor practice complaint against Apple with the National Labor Relations Board.

IAM CORE
IAM CORE



The Towson, Maryland Apple Store first unionized in 2022 with the International Aerospace Workers (IAM) under the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (CORE). Negotiations began in early 2023 and have effectively gone nowhere, according to IAM CORE.

IAM CORE has filed a second unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The first was filed in November 2022, after Apple withheld information about health and education benefits that would become available to non-unionized employees.

"Throughout this entire process, the IAM CORE Negotiating Committee has offered fair proposals and been willing to meet Apple management in the middle," the IAM CORE Negotiating Committee said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Apple continues to stall progress and fall well short of its duty to bargain in good faith."

"Apple does not have to go down the path of Starbucks and Amazon--they can and should do better," the statement continued. "We are Apple employees who want to make Apple a better place to work, and we call on management to change its course and make a real effort to reach a fair agreement. The time is now for real action from Apple."

The new filing made by AIM CORE follows what the union calls a series of bad-faith negotiations from Apple. The company allegedly repeatedly cited existing Apple policies during negotiations rather than formulating new policies that adhere to union requests.

Examples of Apple bargaining in bad faith, according to the IAM CORE statement, include:


  • Company consistently only proposing current policy as its counter offers, despite having a month or more between bargaining sessions to formulate proposals.

  • A recent management rights proposal from Apple included takeaways from a previous company proposal, clearly showing regressive bargaining on the part of management.

  • Apple has yet to respond to many key union proposals, including grievance procedure, union dues check off and union security.

  • Sharing internal negotiations proposals with Apple employees across the country, after insisting on closed bargaining.

  • Continuously showing up late to the bargaining table, pushing back return dates and times to the bargaining table, and delaying the beginning of negotiations from November 2022 to January 2023.



The battle between the Apple Towson union has only just begun and will likely take a long time to resolve -- if a resolution can be reached without lawsuits. IAM CORE represents 100 employees at the Towson, Maryland, location.

Negotiations are scheduled to continue on August 15, 2023.

Read on AppleInsider

BiCC

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    BiCCBiCC Posts: 59
    Apple is awesome on this.  Don't even try to negotiate with a Trillionaire.  Continuously showing up late - That melts my heart - Best tactic.  Apple should just send their Sons and Daughters to the table, and not even show up. Hey Kids, lets build up our Resumes today.
    iOS_Guy80
  • Reply 2 of 4
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,141member
    While the employees have every right to unionize, Apple has no "duty" to negotiate at all.  If Apple believe their offer is fair and equitable, there is no obligation to change it just because someone else wants them to.  It might be wise for them to do so, and a PR problem if they don't, but there's no "duty" to do so.

  • Reply 3 of 4
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,964member
    While the employees have every right to unionize, Apple has no "duty" to negotiate at all.  If Apple believe their offer is fair and equitable, there is no obligation to change it just because someone else wants them to.  It might be wise for them to do so, and a PR problem if they don't, but there's no "duty" to do so.

    Maybe on Planet Beowulfschmidt, but not in the U.S.. 

    edited July 2023 muthuk_vanalingamronnOfergatorguy
  • Reply 4 of 4
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,141member
    While the employees have every right to unionize, Apple has no "duty" to negotiate at all.  If Apple believe their offer is fair and equitable, there is no obligation to change it just because someone else wants them to.  It might be wise for them to do so, and a PR problem if they don't, but there's no "duty" to do so.

    Maybe on Planet Beowulfschmidt, but not in the U.S.. 


    Nothing in there implies that Apple is legally obligated to agree to any of the union's offers (or the union to Apple's, for that matter), or to negotiate any concessions.  "Bargaining in good faith" does not require either party to actually agree to anything.

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