This Wednesday, April 20, employees of the Apple Store located at the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, Georgia filed for election to unionize. Their approach is part of a vast unionization movement across the Atlantic.
A request for unionization by “ love for Apple
Thus, 70% of the store’s 107 eligible employees signed cards with the National Labor Relations Board, an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for conducting union elections and investigating illegal practices in the world of work, to signify their interest in unionizing. An election will therefore be held among employees to find out if they will join the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest communications and media union in the United States. If positive, these employees would become the first at Apple to join a union.
Amazon EU: 51.3 billion euros in turnover and 0€ in corporate tax
Apple Store employees explain that they do this by ” love for their employer, since they want to continue working there while being able to have a say in the decisions that concern them. ” A number of us have been here for many years, and we don’t think we should stay somewhere if we don’t like it. Apple is a deeply positive place to work, but we know the company can best live up to its ideals and so we’re delighted to join our colleagues in bringing Apple to the table and making this place an even better workplace “says Derrick Bowles, an employee of the Apple Store in Atlanta.
” Apple hires the coolest people with the most amazing abilities, thoughts, and ideas. What really brought me to the union table was the fact that all of these incredible minds come together to ensure that not only do we have strength in numbers, but also that we know what is best. for us says Elli Daniels, another store employee.
The most valuable company in the world, Apple continues to see its revenues increase. In 2021, the firm generated 366 billion dollars in turnover, an immense profitability that store employees would also like to benefit from.
Apple’s headquarters, located in Cupertino, California. Photography: Carles Rabada / Unsplash
Amazon employees in Alabama have inspired many
As explained CNBC, workers at the Apple Store in Atlanta were largely inspired by employees at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. The latter have indeed tried to unionize but have not succeeded; despite this, it seems their efforts have inspired other tech workers.
Since then, the employees of a New York warehouse of Amazon have chosen to unionize, while the employees of another Apple Store, also in New York, have also started the process to achieve this. The latter demand, among other things, a minimum wage of 30 dollars an hour; currently, Apple store employees can earn anywhere from $17 to over $30 per hour, depending on experience. They also hope to obtain greater benefits, such as better tuition fees, more accessible time off and better retirement options.
In addition to the Apple Stores in New York and then in Atlanta, the employees of at least two other stores of the Apple brand have taken steps to unionize.
In a difficult context, young American workers are increasingly interested in unions
“ We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full-time and part-time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual grants of shares and many other benefits said an Apple spokesperson. In addition to these remarks, the company has not, for the time being, reacted to the steps taken to unionize these employees.
For its part, Amazon has explicitly indicated that it is against the unionization of its workers, and has even been accused of having resorted to questionable practices to manipulate them during the votes. As explained Vice, more and more young employees, from generations Y and Z, are interested in unionization when they were far from it until now. This is explained in particular by the Covid-19 pandemic and the price inflation that is currently raging in the world; employees need higher wages to live with dignity.
Clearly, the tech giants must now respond to the aspirations of their employees, who have decided to act and unite to benefit from the prestigious results of their companies. As more people unionize across the Atlantic, the CWA seeks to represent workers at Google Fiber stores in Kansas City, Missouri, who are officially employed by a Google contractor. He also wants to represent workers at video game maker Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft is in the process of acquiring, subject to regulatory approval.