Apple Reportedly Under Fire From Federal Labor Agency For Atlanta Anti-Union Practices

Apple Inc. AAPL could be setting itself up for a showdown with the federal labor agency over its anti-union stance and measures.

What Happened: National Labor Relations Board’s Atlanta regional director has deemed that Apple violated federal law by “interrogating and coercing" employees in Atlanta, the agency’s press secretary Kayla Blado said, reported Bloomberg.

The company was blamed for making coercive statements at anti-union meetings it hosted.

The development follows New York NLRB regional director leveling charges against the company for questioning staff at the World Trade Center store and discriminating against union supporters. Apple reportedly denied the allegations.

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NLRB’s current general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo has taken exception to companies holding “captive audience” meetings on the grounds that they are coercive and illegal, the Bloomberg report said.

Why It’s Important: Apple Store employees at different locations have been on a unionization drive. Two of Cupertino’s stores — in Maryland and another in Oklahoma City — have joined the International Association of Machinists and Communications Workers of America, respectively.

The Atlanta Store had applied for unionization earlier this year but withdrew the petition in May ahead of a planned vote. Misconduct by Apple was cited as the reason for the decision not to go ahead with the vote. A similar scenario was seen in St. Louis in November as employees striving to join the IAM pulled back the petition a week after filing.

Price Action: Apple closed Monday's session at $146.63, down 0.83%, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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