Apple Employees at Unionized Maryland Store Denied Latest Benefits Provided to Non-Union Workers

[AppleMad98004]

Starbucks just got in trouble for doing this same thing. The national labor board will resolve this.

No, the employees signed up for a union which by law must do the negotiating. Apple even warned them this would happen. Apple does not want unions so there will be two classes of employees with different employment contracts/benefits/pay etc.

The union could negotiate a 4 year contract and Apple the next day could double all non union store pay and union employees would not be able to get that contractually. They have very little leverage. That is why most unions are in the supply chain (shipping/manufacturing) not at the end of it (sales/marketing/business jobs)

 

[turbineseaplane]

I miss the days of neutral journalism that just reported the news

Those days never existed - people just erroneously think they did.

 

[iObama]

It's embarrassing how many people lick the boots of a 3 trillion dollar corporation while we have 550,000 people sleeping on our streets each night.

No wonder **** never changes.

 

[SFjohn]

Apple, as a proxy for their investors, doesn't see employees as assets but liabilities.

True for all corporations.

 

[turbineseaplane]

It's embarrassing how many people lick the boots of a 3 trillion dollar corporation while we have 550,000 people sleeping on our streets each night.

No wonder **** never changes.

This ^^

Truly embarrassing in fact.
It makes me sad about the state of humanity in general honestly.

 

[Bawstun]

Apple does not plan to provide recently announced employee perks to workers at a Maryland store who have unionized, reports Bloomberg. Apple this week announced plans to offer employees additional funds for education and new health care features in some states, but unionized employees at the Towson, Maryland Apple Store will not receive these benefits.

Towson workers were told that the store would need to negotiate benefits with Apple through the union, which is something that Apple's head of retail, Deirdre O'Brien, warned employees about in anti-union messaging sent out in May.

"We have a relationship that is based on an open and collaborative and direct engagement," she said at the time. "Which I feel could fundamentally change if a store is represented by a union under a collective bargaining agreement."

Despite Apple's efforts, the Towson store unionized in June, becoming the first Apple retail location in the United States to do so. Bloomberg suggests that Apple's decision to withhold perks from the Towson store could dissuade other stores from unionizing, but it could also lead to further worker upset. Other companies like Starbucks that have been fighting unionization have also provided exclusive benefits at non-union stores.

Employees at non-union Apple retail locations are eligible for advanced tuition reimbursement at select colleges, a free Coursera membership, and in Connecticut, New York, Georgia, Washington, and New Jersey, employees have access to a health care plan that waives co-pays for Apple-approved doctors.

Apple has been continually improving benefits for retail workers in an effort to prevent unionization. Apple in February announced more paid sick days, more vacation days, and more parental leave, and in June, the company agreed to make employee schedules more flexible to prevent overworking.

The Towson, Maryland store is represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union and formal negotiations are set to begin with Apple soon.

Article Link: Apple Employees at Unionized Maryland Store Denied Latest Benefits Provided to Non-Union Workers

From a company currently worth $2,223 billion dollars ($2.2 trillion). Absolutely shameful and a shining example of how capitalism sometimes fails to get it right.

 

[drumcat]

As much as I want to yell "not fair", it's literally fair. It's not a good look, but it's fair.

 

[Someyoungguy]

This. Crap low-ball tactic by Apple to slow any potential union growth. Sad.

Right, and at least once the union employees get this through contract negotiation, it won't as easily be stripped away later.

 

[AppleMad98004]

This should be illegal. I know for a fact it is here in the EU.

Nothing says Apple can't give more benefits to nonunion employees. They can always give more to nonunion employees than any union contract etc. Say the union negotiates $25/hour. The next day the can give all nonunion employees $30/hour and exempt the union because they have a contract. Totally legal.

 

[Haust]

It's embarrassing how many people lick the boots of a 3 trillion dollar corporation while we have 550,000 people sleeping on our streets each night.

No wonder **** never changes.

Feel free to create a 3 trillion company and pay people what they think they deserve. No one is stopping you. People who get jobs at Apple are not signing on to a cut of their profits. They are accepting an hourly wage or salary for a particular job. When they provide an offer letter with said benefits and you accept, that’s how much you are worth. Apple employees are not entitled to a cut of the profits.

 

[SFjohn]

I guess I'm an old-school capitalist, because I think you should be able to pay your employees whatever the heck you want to pay them. If they don't like the pay, they don't have to apply. And if they're already employed, they can find greener land on greener pastures. And if your wages are too poor, or over-the-top-bad, you will go out of business and the system will flush you out and naturally rid itself of your bad businesses decisions/labor practices.

Ah, the free market and personal accountability. What a concept.

Thanks for your concise explanation of the worldwide supply chain failures and rising inflation! 😉

 

[Abazigal]

Looks like the union will have to work for their salary.

 

[macos9rules]

That's incredibly tough to prove.... even if it's so.

Maryland is a very high cost-of-living state that also has a better formally educated population than most. I'm sure the Apple employees were demanding as high of wages and benefits as they could get, just to maintain the type of lifestyle they think they deserve for that type of work. That's fine, but it's just a retail sales job at the end of the day. It's been a LONG time since I felt like anyone in an Apple retail store was a true "computer genius". They give their people pretty good training to have quality interactions with the public, but they're just following directions to plug in testing equipment that says, "Yep - send this out for repair." or "No... checks out good." when they troubleshoot.

Truthfully? It's better to relocate to a place with lower taxes and expenses, if you feel underpaid there.

I'm basing my reasoning on this article: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/02/apple-retail-changes-amid-unionization-efforts/

 

[Someyoungguy]

The sense of entitlement is overwhelming. These employees wanted a union to negotiate for them. Now that the union has failed to negotiate what they consider to be fair, they want the rules regarding negotiation to change. Ford and GM non-unionized employees receive different benefits from those negotiated on behalf of their UAW members. It's been that way for decades, and it is perfectly legal. What if Apple decided to cut benefits for all of its non-unionized employees? How long do you think it would take for those represented by the union to scream bloody murder if their benefits were cut beyond those negotiated in the latest contract?

Straw man much? Where did it say employees at this store wanted or felt entitled to any of these new benefits?

 

[britboyj]

The "benefits" offered here to non-union employees are peanuts. It's a straw dog to try and isolate stores that want to unionize.

Apple Retail has some of the most generous benefits around. They do part-time health insurance, 401Ks, and a bunch fo stuff that is VERY rare at the retail level.

This isn't Wal-Mart we're talking about.

 

[madrigal77]

Immediately shut down any stores that unionize.

 

[tk421]

Its not illegal at all, its exactly what unionized employees signed up for. They are represented by a union, the union must negotiate with Apple for any and all changes to benefits/compensation.

What basis do you have for saying that? I belong to a union, and I have received new company-wide benefits that were not negotiated by the union. My union represents people at many companies, and the companies have a mix of employees that are union and non-union, depending on the job role. The union establishes minimums, but companies can always provide additional benefits if they want to. Apple in this case is choosing not to.

 

[gugy]

I am on the side of all union workers in America. Change only happens from the bottom up. Don't expect any corporation to ever feel any sympathy for their employees. Demanding is the only thing that can achieve dignity and a fair wage.

 

[iObama]

Feel free to create a 3 trillion company and pay people what they think they deserve. No one is stopping you. People who get jobs at Apple are not signing on to a cut of their profits. They are accepting an hourly wage or salary for a particular job. When they provide an offer letter with said benefits and you accept, that’s how much you are worth. Apple employees are not entitled to a cut of the profits.

 

[femike]

This tantrum by Apple is actually illegal in this country.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The union establishes minimums, but companies can always provide additional benefits if they want to. Apple in this case is choosing not to.

Exactly right

Apple's conduct here is very intentional and in the spirit of a union busting/discouragement practice

 

[bwillwall]

I love it when trillion dollar companies that charge $20 for a small cleaning cloth argue that paying their employees slightly more would put them in grave danger.

Of all the expensive things Apple makes, literally how did we get caught up on a $20 cleaning cloth? It's not that outrageous. If you don't want an Apple logo on your cloth then don't buy it.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Unions were needed in the beginning because working conditions were lethal. It's swinging back to them being needed again.

It's a pendulum. Like in Asimov's Foundation series. *shrug*

 

[MacLawyer]

Not really, with out a union Apple can give and take away benefits as they see fit. With a union those have to be negotiated. Depending on how they’re set up, it might not be until a contract extension.

Yes, I represented a couple of trades in the distant past. Unless your contract provides otherwise (which it could) all this extra stuff has to be negotiated and agreed to by the union.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Has someone suggested that Apple should pull out of Maryland in disgust yet?