Apple Illegally Interrogated and Coerced Employees Trying to Unionize in Atlanta, Says U.S. Labor Board

Apple violated federal law by holding mandatory anti-union meetings and interrogating and coercing employees at an Atlanta retail location, according a ruling from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that was shared by Bloomberg.

atlanta apple store
Back in May, employees at the Cumberland Mall retail location planned to hold a union election in June, with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) organizing the store. The CWA withdrew its request to hold an election, accusing Apple of "repeated violations" that made a "free and fair election impossible."

In a statement shared by Bloomberg, the CWA said today that "Apple executives think the rules don't apply to them," equating Apple's tactics to "psychological warfare."

The NLRB said that it will issue a complaint if Apple does not settle, and it would be the second such complaint. The NLRB issued a complaint against Apple in September after Apple used the same anti-union tactics at a New York store. The NLRB is not able to assess penalties, but it is able to seek policy changes and informational remedies.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Monday June 23, 2025 2:57 pm PDT by
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we've rounded up below. Control Center The background behind the Liquid Glass Control Center buttons has more blur, allowing...
ios 26 control center b2

iOS 26 Beta 2 Fixes Control Center Design

Monday June 23, 2025 10:58 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass. iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26 Includes These Five Smaller Features You Might Have Missed

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:18 am PDT by
While the dust is beginning to settle on the first iOS 26 beta, we continue to take a closer look at new features coming with the update. Below, we recap five smaller changes that you might have missed. Emoji Game Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji Game, which tasks players with completing words and phrases with emoji. This is the fifth game that is...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...

Top Rated Comments

atomic.flip Avatar
33 months ago

"We'll take anyone if they pay us dues" is not a union that actually represents or fights for the people paying dues.
Spoken like a true anti-worker rights employer.

I’ve never been part of a union or had access to them in my career but I’d support unions for any of my employees. Granted I’ve never been such a terrible employer that I’d have to actually negotiate with one.

Apple is a nearly trillion dollar entity. They CAN afford to provide improved working conditions and even pay their staff a little more.

Enough with the corporate and individual greed.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
atomic.flip Avatar
33 months ago

Okay if Apple violated law, fine. They should be held accountable. But “psychological warfare” gimme a break!
You either have no clue or have a very good clue and remain in denial about things like this actually happening.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msackey Avatar
33 months ago

Okay if Apple violated law, fine. They should be held accountable. But “psychological warfare” gimme a break!
Don't underestimate the power of unintended coercion. Because the power relations between manager/director and worker (particularly non-union represented worker) is undeniably unequal, you have to find ways to mitigate that existing imbalance for actually free elections.

I have been rather disappointed in Apple's approach towards labour unions. You'd think there's a small chance that Apple would "Think Different" with regards to this, but they have been and are acting just like any old corporate America would. SMH. Shame on Apple.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
33 months ago
Pretty damn bad if this really happened.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
33 months ago

The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech and other fields.
"We'll take anyone if they pay us dues" is not a union that actually represents or fights for the people paying dues.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
atomic.flip Avatar
33 months ago

why wouldn't they form their own union?
Resources. You expect a bunch of individual (mostly college age) retail workers to form a legal entity, hire attorneys and an advisory board? Just to start. Come on…
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)