Apple reportedly criticized by Federal Labor Agency for union busting in Atlanta

Apple Inc. AAPL may be preparing for a showdown with the federal labor agency over its stance and union busting.

What happened: The Atlanta regional director of the National Labor Relations Board found that Apple violated federal law by "questioning and coercing" employees in Atlanta , said the agency's press secretary, Kayla Blado, according to Bloomberg.

The company was accused of making coercive statements at union-busting meetings it organized.

The development follows an accusation by the NLRB New York regional director against the company for interrogating staff at the World Trade Center store and discriminating against union supporters. Apple reportedly denied the allegations.

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The NLRB's current general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, has taken offense to companies that hold "captive audience" meetings on the grounds that they are coercive and illegal, according to the Bloomberg report .

Why it matters: Apple Store employees in different locations participated in an organizing drive. Two of the stores in Cupertino, Maryland and another in Oklahoma City have respectively joined the International Association of Machinists and Communication Workers of America.

The Atlanta store had requested unionization earlier this year, but withdrew the petition in May ahead of a scheduled vote. Apple's misconduct was cited as the reason for the decision not to proceed with the vote. A similar scenario was seen in St. Louis in November, when employees trying to join IAM withdrew the petition a week after it was filed.

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

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