KazPost

Kazakhstan News
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Apple store workers vote to form first US union

Apple store workers vote to form first US union

Workers at an Apple store in Maryland have voted to unionise, forming the tech giant's first retail union in the United States.

The employees of the shop in Towson passed the measure 65-33, with about a dozen abstentions.

After the result came in, the group tweeted: "Now we celebrate… tomorrow we keep organising."

It is the third Apple store to launch a union drive this year, but the first to successfully hold a vote.

The new Apple Core union - short for the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees - penned an open letter to Apple in May, saying its bid was "about us as workers gaining access to rights that we do not currently have", but that it did not want to "go against or create conflict with our management".

Other Apple stores in Atlanta and New York, have also made moves toward unionisation. Staff in Atlanta, however, have delayed their planned ballot, with the union involved - the Communications Workers of America - alleging anti-union activity by the company.

Unions are less common in the US than in many European countries, but are still protected in law. Forming one involves either the company voluntarily recognising a union, or workers gathering signatures from at least 30% of employees so that the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) can hold a formal election.

News outlets have alleged that Apple has hired a law firm known for its union expertise, and collated "talking points" for its management teams to dissuade employees from signing up to one.

In April, Motherboard released an audio recording of retail vice president Deirdre O'Brien telling employees that while she recognised the right to join a union, "it's equally your right not to join a union".

"I'm worried about what it would mean to put another organization in the middle of our relationship, an organization that does not have a deep understanding of Apple or our business," the released audio says.

The employees in Towson had the backing of a long-established union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Its president, Robert Martinez Jr, congratulated the Apple employees on what he called a "historic victory".


"They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election," he said.

"This victory shows the growing demand for unions at Apple stores and different industries across our nation."

Apple told the AFP news agency it was declining to comment on the vote, which still has to be officially certified by the NLRB.

The Towson store's union is the latest in a string of high-profile union campaigns in the US.

In December, a successful campaign in New York saw Starbucks employees form their first union at the coffee chain in decades, which has sparked similar campaigns across many of the company's individual stores.

And in April, Amazon saw 55% of workers at a New York warehouse vote in favour of unionisation - though Amazon is disputing that ballot and appealing for a re-run.

Newsletter

Related Articles

KazPost
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
An Ominous Shift in Warfare: Western Powers Risk War Crimes and Violate International Norms with Cluster Bomb Supply to Ukraine
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
Corruption in the European Parliament - Business as usual
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
Paris Suburb Grapples with Violence as Curfew Imposed: Saint-Denis Residents Express Dismay and Anger
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
×