Apple Agrees to Improve Working Conditions for Retail Employees Amid Unionization Efforts

[MacRumors]

Apple is planning to make employee schedules at retail locations more flexible in an attempt to improve working conditions, reports Bloomberg. The changes come as employees in some Apple stores have been working toward unionization.

Going forward, Apple will make sure that there are at least 12 hours in between each shift an employee must take on, up from the current 10 hour minimum. Employees will not have to work past 8:00 p.m. for more than three days a week unless they choose to work late shifts.

Employees will no longer be scheduled to work more than five days in a row, down from six days in a row, though there could be exemptions during holidays and new product launches, and full-time employees will be eligible for a dedicated weekend day off for each six month period that they work.

Workers that spoke to Bloomberg said that Apple plans to implement these scheduling changes in the coming months, and they will be in addition to new benefits introduced in February. Apple in February bumped up the number of available paid sick days, is offering more vacation days, and has upped parental leave.

Apple retail locations in Washington State, New York, Maryland, and Atlanta have taken steps toward unionization with employees asking for higher pay, more vacation time, better retirement options, and other benefits, but none of these efforts have been successful to date.

Apple's head of retail Deirdre O'Brien in May sent out a video to employees to dissuade them from unionizing. "It is your right to join a union - and it is equally your right not to join a union," O'Brien said in the video. She said that employees should "consult a wide range of people and sources" to have a full understanding of what it would mean to "work at Apple under a collective bargaining agreement."

O'Brien said that a union would make it more difficult for Apple to implement "immediate, widespread changes," and it could "make it harder for [Apple] to act swiftly to address things" that employees bring up.

Article Link: Apple Agrees to Improve Working Conditions for Retail Employees Amid Unionization Efforts

 

[quagmire]

#1 way to avoid unionization: Treat the employees right from the start.

Novel concept......

 

[antiprotest]

Please also improve conditions for customers. Improve staff competence, knowledge, attitude and politeness.

 

[dannyyankou]

Even if unionization efforts fail, the end result is good.

 

[StrangeNoises]

Looks like unionisation is already working for them, even while still in potential state. they'd be mad to stop working for it now.

 

[icanhazmac]

I'd rather leave and find a better company to work for than pay up to 5% of my earnings to a political organization that may or may not push an agenda I agree with. Would also really suck for anyone that would like to work for Apple but don't want to support the union cash machine.

Seems to me that companies are competing for competent employees already.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I hope this is not all talk and Apple is really going to abide by it. There needs to be a follow-up and QC on this.

Apple: Treat all the employees with respect and dignity. Yes, that's including the suppliers.

Tim Cook Powerfully Expressed the Importance of Showing Respect. Here Are 9 Ways to Show Employees More of It

We're all capable of treating others with dignity and respect -- it's a choice.

www.inc.com

 

[johnsc3]

I’m feeling that parity between retail and corporate division may be the goal here.

 

[quagmire]

I'd rather leave and find a better company to work for than pay up to 5% of my earnings to a political organization that may or may not push an agenda I agree with. Would also really suck for anyone that would like to work for Apple but don't want to support the union cash machine.

Seems to me that companies are competing for competent employees already.

Most unions separate the political messaging from the members dues. All funding for the political side of things are purely by member DONATIONS.

 

[JPack]

Cool, but this is exactly why unions exist - to negotiate these working conditions. The problem with these promises is they might not get implemented and can get pulled back at any time.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I always appreciate the staff at Apple stores I visit. Always ready and willing to help. They put the very best out there.

 

[watchmainspring]

What are their plans for ensuring humane and fair working conditions and practices in factories?

 

[BGPL]

Please also improve conditions for customers. Improve staff competence, knowledge, attitude and politeness.

This. I can't recall how many times I was belittled by Apple retail staff when asking simple questions about products or repairs. It's almost as if they bolster their confidence so much that they start to think of all customers as idiots. They act like you're keeping them from something else more important.

 

[anthogag]

Show them the money and the honey

 

[Karma*Police]

I'd rather leave and find a better company to work for than pay up to 5% of my earnings to a political organization that may or may not push an agenda I agree with. Would also really suck for anyone that would like to work for Apple but don't want to support the union cash machine.

Seems to me that companies are competing for competent employees already.

Unions are like leeches. They suck the employees and companies dry. I wish these employees succeeded so they could see that firsthand. But it’s easy to be seduced by the promise of safety instead of going out into the unknown and taking a chance on yourself.

 

[I7guy]

#1 way to be treated as a collective. Join a union. So good for apple for bending. Only the employees can decide if unionization is right or not.

 

[coolfactor]

I'm sorry, but here's some whine...

I'm sickened by how greedy employees can be, especially when they expect to get paid (directly or indirectly) without actually earning it through hard work.

Try being a business owner and not even getting paid to work hard, really hard. Then you'd appreciate what you actually have right now in terms of fair treatment and benefits.

 

[anthogag]

Unions are like leeches. They suck the employees and companies dry. I wish these employees succeeded so they could see that firsthand. But it’s easy to be seduced by the promise of safety instead of going out into the unknown and taking a chance on yourself.

That is only one way to look at it. On paper unions represent employees. Do employees want better wages, working conditions, safety, pensions, etc...yes... If a company provides this a union is not needed. Amazon might be a good candidate for unionization.

 

[icanhazmac]

Cool, but this is exactly why unions exist - to negotiate these working conditions.

Cool, but then there is the flip side, ridiculous defense of union employees.

I witnessed the following back when I worked IT for a company that had a union manufacturing plant and a non-union office:

1) On 2nd and 3rd shift the phone system locked out all calls outside the country. Union employees would sneak into the office with a phone code they stole by watching over the supervisors shoulder and call Puerto Rico for hours. The shop steward actually filed a complaint with us that the phone codes were too short at only 4 digits so we were actually to blame for the poor behavior of their members and that he was tired of defending them. No one was fired after this blatant theft of time and phone bills.

2) Same as above but with computer logins, union employees would sneak into a remote part of the office during 2nd and 3rd shift, login with stolen credentials and surf porn. We setup a camera to find out who was involved and believe me, some things you can't un-see. No one was fired, even the one caught "jacking" on company time.

3) Sexual harassment. I witnessed a union employee ask a female office worker who was dating a tall guy in the office if "the big man gives it to her good". This union employee was actually fired but after filing a complaint and winning was brought back, seniority intact with all back pay.

Gotta love unions.

I am not saying there wasn't a time and place for unions but I think we are well past that point. Unions are nothing but power and cash hungry organizations fighting for their lives in a "right to work" world. No one should ever be forced to join a union or lose a job.

 

[RemE]

Having worked a career at HP, non-union, which treated everyone with dignity, I had the opportunity to work with union companies. My experience is that unions may have had their place but most of what I saw was mediocracy. Protected dead wood employees, like govt workers, all hiding behind the unions. You want a crappy business? go union. Just my opinion after being in the field for almost 50 years. You want to see a low GSF (Give a S... Factor) in your workforce? go union.

 

[B_mark_R]

These Apple employees are softer than Cottonelle!

 

[anthogag]

Cool, but then there is the flip side, ridiculous defense of union employees.

I witnessed the following back when I worked IT for a company that had a union manufacturing plant and a non-union office:

1) On 2nd and 3rd shift the phone system locked out all calls outside the country. Union employees would sneak into the office with a phone code they stole by watching over the supervisors shoulder and call Puerto Rico for hours. The shop steward actually filed a complaint with us that the phone codes were too short at only 4 digits so we were actually to blame for the poor behavior of their members and that he was tired of defending them. No one was fired after this blatant theft of time and phone bills.

2) Same as above but with computer logins, union employees would sneak into a remote part of the office during 2nd and 3rd shift, login with stolen credentials and surf porn. We setup a camera to find out who was involved and believe me, some things you can't un-see. No one was fired, even the one caught "jacking" on company time.

3) Sexual harassment. I witnessed a union employee ask a female office worker who was dating a tall guy in the office if "the big man gives it to her good". This union employee was actually fired but after filing a complaint and winning was brought back, seniority intact with all back pay.

Gotta love unions.

I am not saying there wasn't a time and place for unions but I think we are well past that point. Unions are nothing but power and cash hungry organizations fighting for their lives in a "right to work" world. No one should ever be forced to join a union or lose a job.

No, this is not "unions". This is corruption. It happens everywhere.

 

[gugy]

I hope workers all over the USA can change things for the better. Unions are a great start. Stand up to the corporations and get your rights. Any huge corporation will always exploit its workers for maximum profit. Sorry but Apple is just part of that group.

 

[NY Guitarist]

Do employees still have to clock out before they have to wait who knows how long to be searched before they can leave?

 

[steve09090]

These Apple employees are softer than Cottonelle!

From working in a country (Australia) that has some great unions, and a workplace (Police Force) that has a strong union and great conditions, this 12 hour break, and 5 day week stuff is pretty soft. Having a maximum number of hours a day, and per week should be the goal, unless the employee agrees and is compensated appropriately with penalties for going above. Unions are needed, but let’s not 'stretch' the friendship with them. It’s not a all or nothing approach with unions, but moderation and a need to protect the rights of employees.