Apple Store in Maryland Makes History by Voting to Unionize

[erikkfi]

OK Apple shareholders, it's time to self-identify by calling this a bad move for the workers.

Everyone else: let's give a thumbs up.

 

[mannyvel]

Well, there goes customer service.

"Hi, can you help me?"
"Sorry, I'm on break."

 

[avz]

Lol

Won’t Apple just shut the store down? 😂🙋‍♂️

I believe that closing down a store is not feasible considering global situation.

Apple knows very well that with the drop of level of life(disappearing middle class) around the world capitalism is making an inevitable "left turn" towards socialism in some way, shape or form.

 

[Fabian90]

Lots of people with Stockholm syndrome here.
Big corporations are not your friend nor care about you. Unions balance the power structure a bit between workers and corporations.
There are only few countries where the working conditions are as as bad in the USA. Almost no paid time off, almost no social security… have a look at Europe.

 

[bLackjackj]

Lol…Apple can close down any store they want to

Trust me,..they aren't closing any stores down, nor this one Lol

 

[Ion-X]

Congratulations to the store employees! Remember, if the company (any company) tells you you don’t need a union, you DEFINITELY need a union.

 

[rushmere]

Why is this News? In my country, belonging to a union is nearly expected. However, the employers also form a “union” to negotiate the salaries with the respective workers union. It works, we get food on the table, safe workplaces, reasonable job security, there are plenty of room for individual salary negotiations and yet I recently heard my country was the best in the world to do business in but it takes two responsible parties for that.

It’s news because the US is a long way behind many other Western countries in terms of tackling employee exploitation, and there is still a huge imbalance of power. It’s hard for many of us outside the US to really understand, as the culture and political climate is so different to most other places. There will be more unionisation, especially in the ultra-wealthy large corporations, but I suspect it’s unlikely to reach anywhere near the levels that are considered normal and beneficial in the rest of the Western world.

 

[A Hobo]

Labor unions built America.

Boomers have short memories.

 

[Naraxus]

Cool. So now all the current lazy employees who piss & moan about not being able to make a living on minimum wage (something minimum wage was never intended for) can be even lazier, Apple can't fire them, customer service will head to toilet and prices for Apple goods/services will be even more artifically inflated thanks to these bozos.

Well done.

 

[aevan]

Well, there goes customer service.

"Hi, can you help me?"
"Sorry, I'm on break."

Cool. So now all the current lazy employees who piss & moan about not being able to make a living on minimum wage (something minimum wage was never intended for) can be even lazier, Apple can't fire them, customer service will head to toilet and prices for Apple goods/services will be even more artifically inflated thanks to these bozos.

Well done.

You do realize, like, unions are a perfectly normal and common thing in the EU? And yet, somehow, I don't see that people's lives are worse here, whether you're a customer or a service provider.

BTW, maybe people *should* take breaks.

 

[Naraxus]

You do realize, like, unions are a perfectly normal and common thing in the EU? And yet, somehow, I don't see that people's lives are worse here, whether you're a customer or a service provider.

BTW, maybe people *should* take breaks.

I don't care about what happens in the EU

 

[aevan]

It’s news because the US is a long way behind many other Western countries in terms of tackling employee exploitation, and there is still a huge imbalance of power. It’s hard for many of us outside the US to really understand, as the culture and political climate is so different to most other places. There will be more unionisation, especially in the ultra-wealthy large corporations, but I suspect it’s unlikely to reach anywhere near the levels that are considered normal and beneficial in the rest of the Western world.

Yeah, some of the responses here - and all the fear - are really weird to me.

 

[aevan]

I don't care about what happens in the EU

You don't have to care about it, but you can draw conclusions from it. Customer service is not worse in the EU. Quite the opposite.

 

[vladi]

Apple paid the retail employees while the stories were closed by finding them other non-retail remote work to do. Not something they HAD to do, but just something they did. During the next closures, will the union pay their salaries? I guess it depends on their contract.

I also know business that paid their employees just to sit home and do nothing waiting for pandemic to clear. Apple could have done the same but instead they chose to reshuffled them and keep them busy. It was cheaper for them to keep them on the payroll then to lay em all off and then hire new people once the store is up and running.

 

[Prabas]

Cool. So now all the current lazy employees who piss & moan about not being able to make a living on minimum wage (something minimum wage was never intended for) can be even lazier, Apple can't fire them, customer service will head to toilet and prices for Apple goods/services will be even more artifically inflated thanks to these bozos.

Well done.

This is the dumbest thing I’ve read this year.

 

[TheOldChevy]

Did someone ask the employees of that store why they decided to unionise ? Was there any specific reason ? Or is it just an evolution in mentality ?

 

[vladi]

Yeah, some of the responses here - and all the fear - are really weird to me.

Not weird at all. If you talk to mid state regular Joe or Jill you will find it they most likely support big business and ego centric CEO figures over labor even though they are part of that labor. They are the first ones to line up again affordable medical plans and other benefits because "they don't want to pay for lazy people who do nothing". It's then when I usually tell them that US government has spent over $50,000 on a single project that involves planting a certain flower on top of the certain mountain in a certain part of eastern Europe and that US federal government spends billions of dollars on projects like these all over the world no matter who is in charge Democrats or Republicans. They have no clue what I'm talking about, they just stare at me. So they are OK to let their tax money be used for planting flowers thousands of miles away from their home but they are not OK with their tax money to be used for improving quality of life within US. I guess most of them fantasize having a big business one day, I dunno.

 

[-BigMac-]

Apple could do that. But if that were to happen, I'm sure the employees would go to the National Labor Relations Board and ask them to look into it. If the NLRB determines that Apple closed the store in retailiation, that would be a violation of federal labor law.

Discriminating against employees because of their union activities or sympathies (Section 8(a)(3)) | National Labor Relations Board

It is unlawful to discourage (or encourage) union activities or sympathies "by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment." For example, employers may not discharge, lay off, or discipline employees, or refuse to hire job applicants, because...

www.nlrb.gov

Section 8(a)(3) of the Act makes it an unfair labor practice for an employer, "by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment[,] to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization." (An employer that violates Section 8(a)(3) also derivatively violates Section 8(a)(1).) For example, you may not:

• Close one of your facilities, if your motive is to chill unionism at any remaining facility and such an effect is reasonably foreseeable.

On the other hand, Apple could close all their retail locations and get away with that according to the ruling in Textile Workers Union v. Darlington Mfg. Co., 380 U.S. 263 (1965)

1. It is not an unfair labor practice for an employer to close his entire business, even if the closing is due to anti-union animus. Pp. 380 U. S. 269-274.



At least that's my understanding of it. 🤷‍♂️

Thats fair enough. I appreciate the explanation.

I was only joking with the comment anyway

 

[Le0M]

Apple paid the retail employees while the stories were closed by finding them other non-retail remote work to do. Not something they HAD to do, but just something they did. During the next closures, will the union pay their salaries? I guess it depends on their contract.

What?
Contracts will still be between workers and Apple, not between workers and union.

 

[Wildkraut]

No call out for „Apple should leave the Apple Store“, yet?

The inner circle is rebelling, good to see, it’s about time to show Apple who is wearing the pants.

 

[JM]

Why is this News? In my country, belonging to a union is nearly expected. However, the employers also form a “union” to negotiate the salaries with the respective workers union. It works, we get food on the table, safe workplaces, reasonable job security, there are plenty of room for individual salary negotiations and yet I recently heard my country was the best in the world to do business in but it takes two responsible parties for that.

Key word: responsible parties.

Pretty polarizing responses and reactions (lol), but you’re exactly right: this unionization could be really bad for customers, or just fine and the customer never notices any difference in quality of service.

Also, it could be bad for employees of store, but also really good.

It could be bad for Apple, but also…. You get the picture.

It’s just going to come down to the “responsible parties” on both sides (e.g. Apple and Employees) to act in good faith and not try to screw people over.

 

[Bokito]

It’s a shame Apple is hostile against unions and employees that want to unionize. It’s a basic right. Employees don’t have to join a union, but employers should never even be allowed to advice against them.

Different country but here in The Netherlands some employers pay your union fee, no questions asked. The system works a little different as you don’t really have local unions or employer specific unions and you can just individually join a union, who will then protect your rights if you need help.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Let’s flip that script for a sec. Another way of saying what you just said is “Apple was under no obligation to take care of its staff during COV19, and while it did so the there’s no way for staff to be sure it will do so again in the future, but a union contract *can* guarantee that”

A contract “can” guarantee that IF those terms are in the contract that’s negotiated. If those terms aren’t in there, then it won’t be guaranteed.

I also know business that paid their employees just to sit home and do nothing waiting for pandemic to clear. Apple could have done the same but instead they chose to reshuffled them and keep them busy. It was cheaper for them to keep them on the payroll then to lay em all off and then hire new people once the store is up and running.

Hopefully, their union can negotiate that in their contract. If they can’t, folks in other stores would be paid if a shutdown is needed again, these employees wouldn’t.

 

[JM]

This is the dumbest thing I’ve read this year.

No, no… I’m sure there’s much dumber things you’ve read this year. Let’s not be dramatic 😄

 

[m4mario]

Well Played China. Well Played. I can see it already. China will win the tech race.
This would be the time to short all American tech companies.