Given what’s been going on in the labor market, more and more people who are still able to find work are looking for more when it comes to employment. These normally take the form of better hours, better pay, and better working conditions, to name a few. Unions were and still are a great way to get those. Working in solidarity with your fellow coworkers against management can yield huge results. And I’m glad that the Apple Store workers in New Jersey are moving forward with that strategy.
On Wednesday, the employees of the Apple Store in Short Hills petitioned to unionize, according to Bloomberg. This is great news as unionizing has died down since Oklahoma and Maryland unionized back in 2022.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) filed a unionization petition on behalf of the 104 workers earlier in the week. It released a statement affirming that a union is the best way to “ensure all Apple workers receive the respect, pay, benefits, and working conditions” that they are entitled to and deserve. It also asked Apple “not to interfere in our ongoing organizing efforts and, instead, allow workers to freely determine for themselves whether to for a union.”
Of course, like most companies, Apple was quick to say that unions are unnecessary.
We have always paid our retail teams in the top tier of the market. And we provide exceptional and comprehensive benefits for all full- and part-time employees as a part of the overall support we provide to our valued team members.”
Apple statement to Bloomberg
Previous Apple Store efforts
While Oklahoma and Maryland have unionized, other efforts to unionize Apple Stores have not been so successful. A St. Louis location voted not to unionize while an Atlanta location withdrew its request due to Apple allegedly interfering with the process. In December 2022, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Apple broke federal law by holding mandatory union busting meetings along with interrogating the Atlanta workers.
But Short Hills, I stand in solidarity with you and I hope you are able to win your union and get all the things you ask for.
Source: MacRumors
