Eve is here. This post provides a useful update on the illegal tactics used by large companies like Apple and Starbucks to thwart labor unions. This was done despite the fact that labor law explicitly prohibits retaliation against workers involved in labor organizing. The attitude is clearly that as long as a company can get a union movement at a cost sufficient for the workers who lead the union movement in the short term, the long term (subsequent compensation, fines, reinstatement) is not an issue. Thing.
The article fails to mention that the workplace rights that Americans enjoy came at great cost to early leaders. Acts of violence, including hanging, are curiously erased from most accounts of American history. For example, the Pinkertons were a private army whose primary mission was to prevent organized activity. From Teen Vogue (The company is almost the only media outlet with a labor columnist)
…There are few greater enemies of the working class than the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Pinkerton National Detective Agency Founded in Chicago in 1850 as a private police force, it quickly expanded its reach. Its detectives initially focused on catching thieves and robbers, but soon became a thorn in the labor movement because of the frenzy and viciousness of their work. Strikebreaker. Throughout the Civil War era and for decades afterward, Pinkerton operatives left a blood stain They actively participated in strikes, protests and massacres, and earned a ruthless reputation for defending the interests of capital by any means necessary. As one newspaper columnist put it: hessian matrix He was a believer in plutocracy and expected to shoot his brothers dead at the behest of capital. ”
The 2020 article then goes on to explain that Pinkerton continues its worker-murderous practices and has recently been seen collaborating with Amazon in Europe. So it’s an established practice, and large companies have no reason to abandon it.
By award-winning multimedia journalist Sonali Kolhatkar. She is the founder, host, and executive producer of “.Rise with Sonali” is a weekly television and radio program broadcast on Free Speech Television and Pacifica. Her latest book is Standing Up: The Power of Stories in the Pursuit of Racial Justice (City Lights Books, 2023). she, An economy for all Project of the Independent Media Institute and Editor of Racial Justice and Civil Liberties Yes! MagazineShe is a non-profit solidarity organization Afghanistan Women’s Mission He is also a co-author of Bloody Afghanistan. She is also a member of the Board of Directors. Justice Action CenterImmigrant rights organization. Production: An economy for alla project of the Independent Media Institute
Workers in Towson, Maryland, Japan’s first Apple retail store employee About 100 Apple employees are forming the first labor union in the country after voting to strike after union negotiations with their employer failed. They formed their union in 2022. Union of Organized Retail Employees (CORE), and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). Two thirds of store employees voted to unionize, a major success for the company, which had long resisted union efforts.
Apple could have respected workers’ legal right to collective bargaining and embraced the Towson store union. But instead, the company chose the depressingly familiar path of using its economic power to break labor laws and resist unions at all costs.
One of Apple’s early strategies was bold even by corporate standards. All except Towson store employees It created new education and health care benefits and argued that while new unions would have to negotiate for those benefits, non-union members would be able to enjoy them immediately. IAM CORE members say thatcalculatedApple has decided to “dissolve the Apple union” just before the second retail union vote at its Penn Square, Oklahoma, store. Ostensibly, this is to warn workers and other union members considering forming a union that their membership could be at a disadvantage. Under President Joe Biden, the National Labor Relations Board has complied with its mandate to disband unions. Actually protecting workers In many cases, Sued the company Acts that violate the labor rights of workers. Fortunately, the bid failed, and most Apple employees at Penn Square chose to form a union.
Apple’s ugly strategy is Starbucks A year later, the company raised hourly wages for all non-union employees. N.L.R.B. The court also ruled against Starbucks.
Apple and Starbucks have used such tactics Littler Mendelsohn PCStarbucks is the only company to use this notorious union-busting firm, which both companies hire to combat worker organizing. 110 lawyers from law firms Actively resist organized labor in stores. Matthew Boddy, a former National Labor Relations Board attorney, called the large army of anti-union lawyers “unprecedented.” Moreover WebsiteLittler is proud of the work he has done to “shape workplace practices in a way that is favorable to employers.”
Union busting is profitable and raking in the cash Over $400 million in revenue Littler Mendelsohn and morgan lewis(This is Amazon’s go-to union buster.) No wonder a big part of their job is advising employers on the best ways to break the law. Starbucks, for example, Repeat offender. and it’s similar apple and Amazon.
Labor law violations to counter union formation are extremely widespread; Economic Policy Research Institute They found that in 2019, “41.5% of all union campaigns resulted in employers being charged with violating federal law,” a figure that’s likely an underestimate, since these were formal violations that had gone through a reporting and adjudication process.
The reason these big companies choose to be lawless is because it is often in their interest. A company like Apple might think that spending millions on union-busting lawyers is money well spent. After all, breaking the law costs very little. Fines for violations of labor laws The upper limit is set at a small amount. There seems to be some cold calculation behind it. Cost-benefit analysis The difference between breaking labor laws and allowing workers to organize what they want.
Even if a worker 2 Apple Stores They were successful in forming a union, but in Short Hills, New Jersey, workers organized under the Communications Workers of America (CWA). We’re screwed To win the union vote.Prior to the vote, the CWA Accused Apple engaged in illegal anti-union retaliation against one of its Short Hills employees for leading a union effort. For Apple, such illegal actions were probably worth the price: the company would only lose a few thousand dollars while the individual employee’s livelihood was at risk.
This is not just about money, but also about power (which ultimately leads to more money). Workers who seek union representation are fighting not just for better wages and benefits, but for humane treatment. Corporate profiteering is based on worker insecurity, the ability to hire and fire at will, and providing unpredictable shifts that best serve the company. In fact, shift schedule This is a key sticking point in negotiations between IAM CORE and Apple over employees at the Towson store who voted to strike.
There are good reasons why companies fight unions. Hundreds of studies point to the negative reasons. impact Labor unions have a large impact on corporate profits. A clear correlation The relationship between unions and higher wages, benefits, and worker protections. What’s even more encouraging is that unions lead to better wages. Even if the employee is not a union memberIt puts pressure on employers to compete with unionized workers.
Many modern corporate employers who fight unions sell themselves as follows: liberal values And being a professional worker. Apple promote yourself The company is one of the largest job creators in the United States, with 2 million jobs in all 50 states, and “unlike many companies, we offer health insurance to both full-time and part-time employees.” They boast that they can receive benefits such as retirement contributions, employee stock ownership plans, etc.
However, when such companies are forced to live up to their stated ideals, they transform into profit-hungry gangs. “Progressive-branded companies are therefore offering free, built-in leverage to worker organizing movements,” the labor journalists wrote. Hamilton Nolan“Nothing makes an employer keep their promise to care for their employees better than seeking union recognition.”
Some companies are choosing to lean into their stated liberal values. Most notably, ben & jerry’s ice creamrefreshingly decided to embrace the newly formed Scoopers United union instead of unleashing union-busting law firms against its workers.
The New York Times said,A symbol of corporate ruthlessness” appears to be choosing the path of accepting a labor union. Brad Smith Microsoft has announced that it will work with unions in 2022.
Times Inferred Microsoft’s decision to accept a union was an attempt to appease the pro-labor Biden administration ahead of its takeover of the video game company. Whatever the reason, working with unions instead of against them is a step in the right direction. Good for societyEven if it negatively impacts the bottom line of individual companies.
The good news is that even as union membership rates continue to rise, fall rapidlythe percentage of people who view labor unions favorably is increased to 71%Among young people, the figure is a whopping 88 percent. Plead Union membership has skyrocketed, strike activity has increased, and the only thing preventing Apple employees and others from realizing their unionization dreams is the company’s willingness to break labor laws.
