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

[crisss1205]

I don’t understand the details of how unions work so this may be an ignorant question but is it possible that they technically can’t change negotiated benefits without renegotiating with the union even if the changes are positive? Like if I owned a company with unionized workers and I wanted to give all employees a 10% raise I couldn’t because I’d technically be non-compliant with the contract.

That‘s not commentary on the usefulness of unions either way though - it’s not like thats a common direction changes usually take. I’m just wondering if that’s the actual reason and management is just spinning it a bit to capitalize on the situation. Like - not so much ‘evil company’, more ‘jerk company that will take the opportunity to rub it in’.

This is exactly correct.

 

[iObama]

You're making an assumption that the motivation for offering perks is to bust unions. But with a union in place, Apple is not allowed to offer perks to the workers without the union agreeing. So now all workers are withheld perks because one store's union hasn't yet approved? Who's being selfish now.

lol I, for one, choose to not close my eyes to what's clearly happening here, but go off.

 

[iObama]

I don't care.

Clearly. Instead of getting mad at the people who've caused this systemic issue, kick the homeless while they're down. That's the way to do it.

 

[Naraxus]

Clearly. Instead of getting mad at the people who've caused this systemic issue, kick the homeless while they're down. That's the way to do it.

See edit of original post.

 

[madrigal77]

out of curiosity why did conservatives stop supporting unions?

Ponzi scheme.

Are you actually calling the homeless people "trash"?

(or do you mean actual trash?)

They are. Human garbage. I won't even go downtown in my city anymore. It's gross. Needles and human **** everywhere. Random assaults. Just this past month a 90 year old woman was thrown to the ground and kicked for not giving some junkie change, and a 5 year old boy was randomly punched in the head on his birthday by some junkie. These are not human beings, they are garbage.

 

[Admiralbison]

Organize, unionize, socialize

The only ones that truly fear Socialism with an Economy controlled by workers are billionaires and corporations (Apple included) ~ because they actually understand what Socialism is, even when many Americans fail to.


like I’ve said many times,

I am on the side of Apple workers and Apple consumers/end users, NOT Apple corporation and their greedy Apple corporate shareholders.

 

[imnotthewalrus]

hahahahahahahahahahaha...

Downvote all you want. I DON'T CARE

 

[Powerguru]

What happened to : “I don’t like to work at the Apple Store and I quit” instead of keeping Apple hostage. This is end of America.
Unions are a product of a closed and socialist economy.

 

[dmr727]

What do any of these homelessness rants have to do with unions?

 

[pdoherty]

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.

If we had to rely totally on the methodology you spelled out there, and not government regulation/legislation, we'd still have 7-day workweeks, sweatshops, unsafe working conditions, no minimum wage, and child labor. Because legislation is what it took to get all of that, and it's been ~90 years since then and nothing much has improved, further emphasizing that the only way workers will see sea-change benefits is by forcing it; employers, en masse, will never willingly give them.

 

[RemE]

Good for Apple, unions can be good but in my life experience of 50 years in the field, they breed mediocracy and protect dead wood. Coming from the likes of Hewlett-Packard (non union) and dipping thru aerospace (very union) the sheer waste and incompetence was eye opening. Everyone wants free stuff, till it's all gone. I'll take meritocracy ANY DAY.

 

[GermanSuplex]

I’m 100% pro-union, but also 100% in favor of Apple’s decision here.

 

[siddavis]

Why?

Because the feels.

 

[siddavis]

It's amazing to see all the ways in which companies sometimes trick employees into turning against each other instead of focusing on the company. So now there are two classes of workers: Unionized, which will be punished and, Non-unionized who will get small rewards. The non-unionized employees should realize they are only getting their benefits as a result of an indirect effect of organizing at other stores.

Yeah, it was the company that created the classes.

 

[siddavis]

Be careful to wish for a decent wage and benefits?

My understanding is that Apple is is offering this benefit after the union deal, thereby treating employees punitively because of their union status.

Are they shackled to the store?

 

[bLackjackj]

Unions are a product of a closed and socialist economy.

Actually quite the opposite. Open your eyes and look how well it works in Australia. Staff benefits, yearly pay increases, leave benefits..all inclusive as part of collective barganing and agreements between the unions and companies.

 

[I7guy]

If we had to rely totally on the methodology you spelled out there, and not government regulation/legislation, we'd still have 7-day workweeks, sweatshops, unsafe working conditions, no minimum wage, and child labor. Because legislation is what it took to get all of that, and it's been ~90 years since then and nothing much has improved, further emphasizing that the only way workers will see sea-change benefits is by forcing it; employers, en masse, will never willingly give them.

We need government regulations for societies benefit. But that isn’t what the poster was referring to. Go forth and peddle yourself to the highest bidder.

 

[bLackjackj]

Are they shackled to the store?

Apple cannot run away from it's responsibilities,..staff shouldn't have to leave to get what they deserve. I swear, the US is like 40 years behind Australia when it comes to Unions and fair representation of ALL staff. Staff have won in so many ways - do your research.

 

[bLackjackj]

Once a union is in place, that acts as a barrier between the employer and the employees. Apple would be bypassing the union if they offered "perks" to employees directly. Everything must go through the union for approval.

You literally have no idea,..can you please do some research first! Australia IS a democracy. Australia has Unions who have fought for so many rights. They do not act as a "barrier",..it actually stops companies doing wrong to their employees. Companies still function as normal, but staff don't have to fight for their fundamental working rights. No, perks DO NOT have to be run by the union, but APPLE should treat all staff equally. If a Union was in place, ALL Apple staff would be treated equally and we wouldn't be having this conversation!

 

[danakin]

Man, for all the back and forth on unions, THIS is a *textbook* example of how a corporation tries to sully the concept of unions.

It’s weird watching the US go through the 20’s again…

Don’t the ‘20s happen every 100 years…

 

[billnye97]

So what’s the problem. They have their union bosses to try to get them that. They didn’t want to play by Apples rules so they got what they deserved. Now they’ll have to bend over for the union and hope they get something close to what the other employees get.

The union and threat of other stores unionizing got all of these benefits for the other employees. Do you think Apple was going to do this before? Of course not. The anti-union sentiment here in the States is mind boggling.

 

[Rafterman]

Per USA Today, unionized workers earn an average of $1.5 million more over a lifetime than non-union.

Meanwhile Tim Cook earned a $3 million annual salary, $82.3 million stock award, and a $12 million cash bonus. In one year.

It's funny that many will argue against unions - against their own kind of people: the working class. And this isn't the 1970s and the era of Jimmy Hoffa. That stereotype has long been dead.

 

[iObama]

It's funny that many will argue against unions - against their own kind of people: the working class.

THIS. If we could just stop arguing for three seconds and realize that we're all in this together...

 

[McTaste]

want union, get union

 

[mikethemartian]

Oh wow, a free Coursera membership. You don’t want to take a risk of losing that.