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Tag: National Labor Relations Board

  • US labor board drops allegation that Apple’s CEO violated employees’ rights

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    The National Labor Relations Board has withdrawn “many of the claims” it made against Apple in relation to cases brought in 2021 by former employees, according to Bloomberg. In particular, it dismissed an allegation that Apple CEO Tim Cook violated workers’ rights when he sent an all-staff email that year, which said “people who leak confidential information do not belong” in the company. Cook also said in the email that Apple was “doing everything in [its] power to identify those who leaked” information from an internal meeting the previous week, wherein management answered workers’ questions about pay equity and Texas’ anti-abortion law.

    Apple didn’t “tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it’s product IP or the details of a confidential meeting,” Cook wrote at the time. The NLRB has now withdrawn some of the claims made in complaints by former employee Ashley Gjøvik, including that Apple told employees not to disclose company communications, and that it had suspended Gjøvik in retaliation and fired her unlawfully. But, not all of the allegations have been withdrawn. Apple settled a separate case with Gjøvik back in April, which she announced as a win for workers, as the settlement required Apple to revise rules around employee agreements and discussions of company information to clarify “that employees can talk about their pay, working conditions, and union organizing without retaliation,” and speak to the press, among other things.

    In addition dropping its claim that Cook’s email violated workers’ rights, the labor board is also withdrawing its allegation that the firing of activist Janneke Parrish, one of the leaders of the #AppleToo movement, broke the law. It’s dismissing its previous allegations that Apple broke the law by imposing confidentiality rules and surveilling workers or making them think they were under surveillance, as well. After an investigation, NLRB previously came to the conclusion that Cook’s email and Apple’s overall behavior were “interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of their rights.”

    Bloomberg says this is just one instance of the NLRB being more friendly to companies under President Trump. We’ve reached out to the NLRB for more information.

    Correction, September 27, 2025, 6:42PM ET: This story incorrectly stated that the NLRB had withdrawn claims made against Apple in complaints filed by employees including Cher Scarlett. Scarlett’s charges against Apple, which relate to pay equity, suppression of wage discussions and constructive discharge, have not been withdrawn or dismissed.

    This article has also been updated to include additional information about allegations by former employee Ashley Gjøvik that have been withdrawn, and about Apple’s previous settlement with Gjøvik.

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    Mariella Moon

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  • Jefferson County library and Denver Art Museum workers vote to form union Thursday

    Jefferson County library and Denver Art Museum workers vote to form union Thursday

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    Jefferson County library and Denver Art Museum workers voted to form a union Thursday, the AFSCME Council 18 announced in a news release.

    The council represents American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in New Mexico and Colorado.

    “Jefferson County library workers made Colorado history by becoming the first group to organize a union under the state’s new collective bargaining law for county employees,” AFSCME 18 said.

    Library workers have been struggling with low wages and workplace safety, according to AFSCME 18.

    “Safety in particular is a concern, as libraries have become ground zero in culture wars and default social service agencies,” AFSCME 18 said.

    We reached out to Jefferson County Public Library for a response to the vote and are waiting to hear back.

    Denver Art Museum employees also joined the movement on Thursday after what AFSCME 18 called an “especially aggressive anti-union campaign by the museum, which resulted in more than a dozen Unfair Labor Practice filings by workers.”

    Now that workers at the Denver Art Museum have joined the union, they want to prioritize adequate staffing, career advancement and wages that account for experience, tenure and continuing inflation, according to AFSCME.

    The Denver Art Museum released the following statement reacting to the vote:

    “On March 6 and 7, 2024, eligible Denver Art Museum employees participated in an election to determine whether staff would unionize. The ballots have been tallied, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has verified the tally of 120 to 59 vote in favor of electing the union. All employees in the bargaining unit of Denver Art Museum Workers United (DAMWU) will be represented by AFSCME-CWU. 
     
    The museum supports employees’ right to unionize and is grateful for all those who voted and exercised their rights in this process. The museum is committed to bargaining in good faith with the union toward a Collective Bargaining Agreement.“

    Denver 7+ Colorado News Latest Headlines | March 8, 8am

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    Katie Parkins

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  • Starbucks workers strike at more than 100 US stores

    Starbucks workers strike at more than 100 US stores

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    Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores are on strike Thursday in their largest labor action since a campaign to unionize the company’s stores began late last year.

    The walkouts coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. Workers say it’s often one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks declined to say how many red cups it plans to distribute.

    Workers say they’re seeking better pay, more consistent schedules and higher staffing levels in busy stores. Stores in 25 states planned to take part in the labor action, according to Starbucks Workers United, the group organizing the effort. Strikers are handing out their own red cups with union logos.

    Starbucks, which opposes the unionization effort, said it is aware of the walkouts and respects its employees’ right to lawfully protest. The Seattle company noted that the protests are happening at a small number of its 9,000 company-run U.S. locations.

    “We remain committed to all partners and will continue to work together, side-by-side, to make Starbucks a company that works for everyone,” the company said Thursday in a statement.

    Some workers planned to picket all day while others will do shorter walkouts. The union said the goal is to shut stores down during the strikes, and noted that the company usually has difficulty staffing during Red Cup Day because it’s so busy.

    Willow Montana, a shift manager at a Starbucks store in Brighton, Massachusetts, planned to strike because Starbucks hasn’t begun bargaining with the store despite a successful union vote in April.

    “If the company won’t bargain in good faith, why should we come to work where we are understaffed, underpaid and overworked?” Montana said.

    Others, including Michelle Eisen, a union organizer at one of the first stores to organize in Buffalo, New York, said workers are angry that Starbucks promised higher pay and benefits to non-union stores. Starbucks says it is following the law and can’t give union stores pay hikes without bargaining.

    At least 257 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late last year, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Fifty-seven stores have held votes where workers opted not to unionize.

    Starbucks and the union have begun contract talks at 53 stores, with 13 additional sessions scheduled, Starbucks Workers United said. No agreements have been reached so far.

    The process has been contentious. Earlier this week, a regional director with the NLRB filed a request for an injunction against Starbucks in federal court, saying the company violated labor law when it fired a union organizer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The regional director asked the court to direct Starbucks to reinstate the employee and stop interfering in the unionization campaign nationwide.

    It was the fourth time the NLRB has asked a federal court to intervene. In August, a federal judge ruled that Starbucks had to reinstate seven union organizers who were fired in Memphis, Tennessee. A similar case in Buffalo has yet to be decided, while a federal judge ruled against the NLRB in a case in Phoenix.

    Meanwhile, Starbucks has asked the NLRB to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores, citing allegations from a board employee that regional officials improperly coordinated with union organizers. A decision in that case is pending.

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  • Starbucks workers plan strikes at more than 100 US stores

    Starbucks workers plan strikes at more than 100 US stores

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    Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores say they’re going on strike Thursday in what would be the largest labor action since a campaign to unionize the company’s stores began late last year.

    The walkouts are scheduled to coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. Workers say it’s often one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks declined to say how many red cups it plans to distribute.

    Workers say they’re seeking better pay, more consistent schedules and higher staffing levels in busy stores. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort, saying the company functions best when it works directly with employees. The Seattle coffee giant has more than 9,000 company-owned stores in the U.S.

    Stores in 25 states planned to take part in the labor action, according to Starbucks Workers United, the group organizing the effort. Some workers planned to picket all day while others planned shorter walkouts. The union said the goal is to shut the stores down during the walkouts.

    Willow Montana, a shift manager at a Starbucks store in Brighton, Massachusetts, planned to strike because Starbucks hasn’t begun bargaining with the store despite a successful union vote in April.

    “If the company won’t bargain in good faith, why should we come to work where we are understaffed, underpaid and overworked?” Montana said.

    Others, including Michelle Eisen, a union organizer at one of the first stores to organize in Buffalo, New York, said workers are angry that Starbucks promised higher pay and benefits to non-union stores. Starbucks says it is following the law and can’t give union stores pay hikes without bargaining.

    At least 257 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late last year, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Fifty-seven stores have held votes where workers opted not to unionize.

    Starbucks and the union have begun contract talks at 53 stores, with 13 additional sessions scheduled, Starbucks Workers United said. No agreements have been reached so far.

    The process has been contentious. Earlier this week, a regional director with the NLRB filed a request for an injunction against Starbucks in federal court, saying the company violated labor law when it fired a union organizer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The regional director asked the court to direct Starbucks to reinstate the employee and stop interfering in the unionization campaign nationwide.

    It was the fourth time the NLRB has asked a federal court to intervene. In August, a federal judge ruled that Starbucks had to reinstate seven union organizers who were fired in Memphis, Tennessee. A similar case in Buffalo has yet to be decided, while a federal judge ruled against the NLRB in a case in Phoenix.

    Meanwhile, Starbucks has asked the NLRB to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores, citing allegations from a board employee that regional officials improperly coordinated with union organizers. A decision in that case is pending.

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  • Blizzard Testers Win Case, Can Now Vote On Forming A Union [Update: Activision Responds]

    Blizzard Testers Win Case, Can Now Vote On Forming A Union [Update: Activision Responds]

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    Image for article titled Blizzard Testers Win Case, Can Now Vote On Forming A Union [Update: Activision Responds]

    Image: Blizzard

    Back in July, a group of 21 quality assurance workers at Activision’s Albany studio—formerly known as Vicarious Visions—announced their intentions to unionise. Today, the National Labor Relations Board have confirmed that their vote can go ahead.

    The ruling came about because—and stop me if you’ve heard this one before—publishers Activision Blizzard initially opposed the move, saying that a larger group of 88 developers should be included in the vote, a textbook piece of union-busting that has also been tried at other Activision studios going through the process of unionisation.

    In this case it hasn’t worked; the NLRB’s ruling today clears the path for the workers to vote on forming a union, disagreeing (in a detailed breakdown explaining each of the studio’s departments, how their work differs and how underpaid testers are) with Activision’s claims that “we believe every employee in Albany who works on Diablo should have a direct say in this decision”.

    The ruling concludes:

    Based on the above, I conclude that the employees in the petitioned-for unit share a community of interest. I have also considered the similarities that exist among the developers and compared this to the testers. Developers are organized in separate departments, but departments that ultimately report to the head of the Diablo franchise. Developers have a diverse set of skills, training, and duties, but use these skills in a complementary manner in a production process that includes significant amount of contact and a high degree of functional integration. Compensation varies, but many terms and conditions of employment do have overlap among the developers.

    Comparing the developers’ community of interest to that of the testers I find that the distinct interests of the testers outweigh the similarities that exist with the developers. As noted, the testers participate in the same game development process that includes significant contact and functional integration. However, testers are separately organized in their own department and their supervisory hierarchy is entirely separate from the Diablo franchise. Testers also have a specific set of skills and duties different from the developers. Finally, testers are paid significantly less than developers. Moreover, the evidence of interchange between testers and developers is extremely limited. For these reasons I find any shared interests between the testers and developers do not outweigh the separate interests that make the petitioned-for unit an appropriate unit.

    G/O Media may get a commission

    The ruling instantly clears the path for an election, which will begin soon; ballots will be sent out on October 27, with votes being counted on November 18.

    A current employee at the studio, though not one of the testers involved in the vote, told the Washington Post “It’s about time. Our QA testers are some of the most talented and skilled people working in our company and they are critically undervalued by corporate. I think that all games workers need a union, but QA is in especially dire need.”

    Update 10:00pm ET: Lulu Cheng Meservey, Activision Blizzard’s Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer, has responded to the finding on internal communications, writing:

    Hey all, quick heads up on something important. It’s a long one but wanna be thorough so thanks for bearing with me. This afternoon the NLRB (national labor relations board) determined that -20 QA (quality assurance) testers working on Diablo in Albany will be eligible to form a union and if the union wins the vote will be included in the bargaining unit.

    Where the company stands on that: fully respects the NLRB process, and fully supports the employees’ right to choose how they want to be represented. Also has the view that people who work closely together should be able to make decisions like that collectively – ie, we disagree that a handful of employees should get to decide for everyone else on the future of the entire Albany-based Diablo team. We think a direct dialogue between company and employees is the most productive route.

    Examples: through direct dialogue we’ve already converted contingent QA staff to full time, increased pay, increased benefits, opened up access to the bonus program, and offered more opportunities for professional advancement (which would also result in more pay).

    We feel collective bargaining is comparatively slow- once agreement is in place takes over a year on average according to a Bloomberg analysis. During the long contract negotiation companies from giving any pay/bonus/benefit increases without a special arrangement with the union, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that non-union employees generally get larger pay raises than union-represented groups. That’s consistent with what we saw with Raven, where there have only been three bargaining sessions since the union was certified there almost 6 months ago, due partly to the union cancelling pre-planned bargaining sessions for a month.

    I’m sharing all of that because having a streamlined process is a reason why the company prefers direct discussions – but ultimately it’s up to employees and everyone should get to vote their own preference in a fair election.

    What happens next with this is that ballots will be mailed to eligible Albany-based employees on Oct. 27, need to be returned by Nov. 17, and will get counted by the NLRB on Nov. 18.

    More to come as the process continues but wanted to share asap. Thanks so much for reading everyone.

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    Luke Plunkett

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