Employees at an Apple retail store in New Jersey have voted against joining a union, potentially halting efforts to organize the tech giant’s workforce nationwide.
According to the National Labor Relations Board, workers at the Short Hills store voted 57-41 against joining the Communication Workers of America (CWA) union in an election that concluded on Saturday.
This marks the first union election at an Apple store since 2022, when workers at two stores in Maryland and Oklahoma opted to unionize.
The CWA has withdrawn petitions for elections at several stores, accusing Apple of unlawfully discouraging unions since then. Apple has not yet responded to requests for comment.
However, in a statement last month regarding a petition for the Short Hills store election, the company emphasized its provision of “top-tier” pay and benefits to retail employees.
The CWA has yet to respond to requests for comment, but the union has five days to file objections to the election results, such as claims of Apple’s engagement in illegal labor practices before the vote.
Last week, the CWA filed a complaint with the NLRB, alleging that Apple retaliated against a leader of the Short Hills campaign by subjecting him to meetings with managers and denying his time-off request.
This complaint followed a separate case where the NLRB ruled that a manager at an Apple store in Manhattan violated a worker’s rights by inquiring about his stance on a union campaign.
Several other complaints from the union are pending before the board, with Apple refuting any wrongdoing in those instances.
