President Biden Praises Apple Employees in Maryland for Unionizing

[IllinoisCorn]

Strange that unionizing and protecting the workers' rights has always been such a big deal in the US. Here in Sweden it's a rule of thumb.

We have a million laws protecting workers. I know this because I am an employment attorney. "Workers' rights." Lol. Super simplistic and low resolution thinking. Workers are more protected in this country than perhaps anywhere else on the planet.

You don't need a union to "protect" a worker--it's not 1917.

The ignorance on this website is stunning. Absolutely stunning.

 

[The Barron]

Was this before or after he fell off his bike?

Does it matter?🤔

 

[Mr. Dee]

My dad was a trade unionist, so he would be proud to hear news like this. He was a strong advocate for workers rights. Apple can’t just be about hoarding cash to make the rich even richer. Warren Buffett has billions in Apple Stock. What benefit to him really? I hope every Apple store follows suit. At the end of the day, these are the people that sell the product and make Apple prosperous. Not MKBHD and iJustine.

 

[raindogg]

Good for them!!! The only reason corporations don't want a Union is because they want to screw over their workers with ease.

 

[sw1tcher]

Tesla has been at the forefront of making electric vehicles a real thing, but you can't get a credit for a Tesla... because "Tesla made by Elon. Elon is rich man. Rich man bad."

You can't get a tax credit for a Tesla anymore because Tesla sold their 200,000 vehicle in 2018 and it has been completely phased out

Tesla hits 200,000 cars, meaning lower tax credit for buyers

Tesla Inc has delivered 200,000 electric cars to buyers in the United States, a spokesperson said on Thursday, meaning tax credits will now begin to be lowered, while rivals such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW AG and Audi AG will bring electric models to the market with a full tax...

www.reuters.com

When other automakers like GM and Ford sell their 200,000th EV, tax credits will be phased out for them too.

This has nothing to do with Elon. Stop spreading B.S. lies.

 

[cocky jeremy]

The number of people in these threads who, like you, are gleefully hoping these workers get utterly screwed and lose their livelihood for daring to collectively bargain for better working conditions really bother me. You and those commenting the same way are somehow incredibly angry at people you’ve never met simply because they want fair wages, protection, and benefits for their labor and I really don’t get it. Why do you want these folks to get screwed? Why do you want it so much you want to not just see it happen but laugh at their misfortune if it did? What did they do to you?

If you don't like what you're paid, go somewhere else. They're unskilled retail workers that have no leverage and it's going to be hilarious when it explodes in their faces.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Not a very kind or positive attitude sir.

I'm not a very kind person. I am positive though... positive that every single one of those workers would easily be replaced by a trained chimp.

 

[cocky jeremy]

"Workers have a right to determine under what condition they are going to work or not work," Biden told reporters. He went on to say that "everyone is better off, including the final product is better off," in reference to the unionization.

You mean like... being able to quit a job you don't want?

 

[Lucas Curious]

If Biden praises something, you know its a poop fest.

 

[AppliedMicro]

You don't need a union to "protect" a worker--it's not 1917.

But employees can benefit from a union pursuing their interests.
I mean, you don’t need to hire union-busters either, do you?

They're unskilled retail workers that have no leverage and it's going to be hilarious when it explodes in their faces.

The derogatoriness of your comment aside:
Well, unions are a way of giving them at least some leverage, aren’t they?

 

[Corsig]

I know there are different laws and regulations. But, can the same strategy (unionizing) be applied to the factories in China? I think they need this the most.

Do you not know anything at all about China? This is the craziest thing yet you w ever said. They go to jail for spitting gum on the street and have no human rights at all and you want them to unionize? I’ve now heard it all

 

[Lucas Curious]

Was this before or after he fell off his bike?

miracles have happened when dumb people fell off a motorcycle and then became a prodigy. Could it be???????

 

[ninecows]

 

[Corsig]

Biden praised this after falling on his bike

 

[PlayUltimate]

I am not American and was not aware of the maternity leave. That is something your government should deal with as a human right and not be left up to your unions, especially if you want equality for all people, not just those who have a union to back them.

I hardly believe there is a big culture of Americans not taking time off work for vacation. I have travelled many times in the US and if it is not Americans in their RV's or at national parks, monuments and everything else you have to do then your influx of foreign tourists is pretty impressive, especially when they sport American flags on everything showing their host country pride.

You'd be surprised. (surgery is pre-Covid)

Study: A Record 768 Million U.S. Vacation Days Went Unused in ‘18, Opportunity Cost in the Billions

American workers left a record number of vacation days on the table last year—768 million days, up 9% from 2017—according to new research from the U.S. Travel Association, Oxford Economics and Ipsos.

www.ustravel.org

 

[Naraxus]

Good for them!!! The only reason corporations don't want a Union is because they want to screw over their workers with ease.

No. They don't want the artifically higher prices it costs to manufacture their goods because a cabal of entitled whiners think they ought to be coddled for working entry-level positions & flipping burgers for their "careers" amongst other things.

 

[dannyyankou]

I understand your sentiment, but not all unions have the best interest of the workers in mind.

In my case the higher ups in the union were abusing funds and having a nice time holding “meetings” in 5-star hotels paid for by the union fees deducted from our salary.

The second case I know was in a mine in the East Coast, all workers had pretty decent benefits, including free food and housing while on shift, but they wanted more even though it was a declining business, they wanted free computers for children going to school and help to cover college tuition without any GPA requirements. Guess what, the mine ceased operations and moved production to Chile and Perú, they are all now unemployed.

Just let it all play out. I'm sure there's risk that union leadership will take advantage of certain things. But I don't trust them any less than I would trust companies at the corporate level honestly.

 

[richpjr]

Not against unions, though I do think in many cases they are no longer necessary or needed with current labour laws. I wonder how long it will be before Apple prices increase to go along with the wage increases and other benefits the unions will start fighting for.

Bingo! If Apple's costs for wages and benefits increases, they will simply pass it along to their customers.

 

[bobenhaus]

Yeah but what if you owned a company and your employee's wanted to unionize on your dime ? Make sense huh ? Charity is awesome when its not your money.

 

[ArrayDecay]

Unions are good. I hope every Apple Store unionizes.

 

[Homy]

We have a million laws protecting workers. I know this because I am an employment attorney. "Workers' rights." Lol. Super simplistic and low resolution thinking. Workers are more protected in this country than perhaps anywhere else on the planet.

You don't need a union to "protect" a worker--it's not 1917.

The ignorance on this website is stunning. Absolutely stunning.

Alrighty then! The employers have then nothing to worry about since they have you reminding them of all the million American laws protecting the workers better than any other country in the world. No need to be upset and object to unionizing then since it's all good. Case closed! Live long and prosper!

Still all those millions of laws don't seem to be enough since apparently employers don't seem to care enough and workers feel the need for unionizing.

 

[rgwebb]

We have a million laws protecting workers. I know this because I am an employment attorney. "Workers' rights." Lol. Super simplistic and low resolution thinking. Workers are more protected in this country than perhaps anywhere else on the planet.

You don't need a union to "protect" a worker--it's not 1917.

The ignorance on this website is stunning. Absolutely stunning.

I disagree entirely. I do not think it is any accident that the decline in unions within the United States is correlated strongly with a decline or stagnation in real wages.

I don’t have data on this one but my hunch is that the mistrust with our political systems was exacerbated when the Democratic Party sold out the labor unions in that Jimmy Carter to Atari Democrat era. In so doing, practical lived conditions of people at the bottom got completely disconnected from political outcomes.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Side note... I think it is BS the Biden is so hell bent on pushing unionization, that credits for Americans buying EVs only go to those who bought cars from unionized automakers. Tesla has been at the forefront of making electric vehicles a real thing, but you can't get a credit for a Tesla... because "Tesla made by Elon. Elon is rich man. Rich man bad."

There's more going on than creating a strawman argument over Biden or anyone else supposedly having a simplistic "rich man bad" approach. Tesla has some labor issues it needs to address, especially racial and gender discrimination (which it disputes).

From InsideEVs:

Last month, after a three-year investigation, the California Department of Employment and Fair Housing (DFEH) filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging its Fremont auto factory is rife with racism targeting black workers. Now, new reporting shares the stories of former employees who claim to have experienced harassment, underlining the apparent seriousness of the situation.

Meanwhile over on SpaceX, employees were fired for writing a letter complaining about CEO Elon Musk's behavior being a distraction to ther work. The same Elon Musk who says he values free speech, so Twitter will be in good hands.

So maybe it's not "rich man bad," but instead it's "rich man problematic in his approach to workers so I can understand why people would see the need for the protections of a union and having the ability to collectively bargain."

 

[weckart]

I'm going to laugh my ass off when Apple shuts down the store or refuses to agree to anything they demand, let them go on strike, then replace them.

Replace them with what? Who would want to work for such crappy employers?

 

[Apple2GS]

I understand coal miners needing to form a union to protect their health and safety, but retail staff? Who benefits the most from unions? It's the union bosses and middle management and of course politicians who get kickbacks. Customer service will not improve, just look at any DMV, post office, or other unionized government office as an example.