Apple is working with anti-union lawyers at Littler Mendelson in an escalating fight with retail workers in Atlanta who have filed for a union election. Though the company has not publicly stated its stance on Apple Stores unionizing, the move sends a strong signal that it plans to oppose workers organizing for better pay and working conditions.
Littler is currently representing Starbucks in its efforts to fight off worker organizing. It previously helped McDonald’s avoid responsibility in a 2014 case that alleged the company, as a joint employer, violated labor laws by retaliating against workers who participated in the Fight for $15 campaign.
“From the start I’ve thought unionization was a good thing,” said one current retail employee who asked to remain anonymous as they are not authorized to speak publicly about the company. “Pay is so unequal at the stores — there are people who’ve been in roles for less time making more than people who’ve worked in those same roles for years. They position themselves as a company that’s open to feedback but nobody acts on it. With a union backing the employees, they’ll be more pressure on them to actually act on it.”
Last week, Apple retail workers at the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta filed for a union election. The employees are unionizing with the Communications Workers of America. The move set off a firestorm of organizing activity at Apple Stores across the country.
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