And the most genius part of their plan is all they had to do is not tell the union that they were leaving a big hole in their agreement. Sometimes the wise move is to let your opponent defeat themselves.
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Apple is Permanently Closing Three U.S. Stores This Month
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What’s really hilarious is that, of the two stores that decided to unionize, one of them was in a mall that, even when the deal was signed, was dying. And they negotiated severance, good, but not relocation.
watakoola
macrumors 6502
Why do American(?) people play the "because that's what leftists do" card? I'm sure people on your Right could also find mutual offence with such matters.
applebro
macrumors 6502
propaganda in the media turn the working class against each other lol
Lucky736
macrumors 65816
Malls change. Areas change. Demographics change. Other factors play in. The Towson area is a perfect example. Beautiful, clean, desirable 20 years ago. Not even close today where the mall is. Things change, that is that. The company is making the responsible decision to operate where it makes sense to operate.
If it was a profitable location I bet Apple would have kept it open union or not .
Dirk Pieters
macrumors 6502a
Unions in my country are synonymous with “destruction of jobs”. Always on strike, always asking more and more until companies move their production to another country. And in the end: they all end up without jobs.
Saw a guy on the news the other day, crying how he lost his job and never saw it coming. Really? The company in question had already moved part of production elsewhere because it got too expensive here. Then you went on strike for more money and you are surprised all production moved and you ended up with nothing.
I am thankful for unions for all the work they did many decades ago. I think them on my bare knees. But it seems that they are hell-bent on destruction of companies these days.
I don’t know, maybe unions are different across the pond. Maybe the concept of “work” is different over there. I hope they are because when unions are involved here the outcome is always “nothing good”.
Dirk Pieters
macrumors 6502a
Indeed. The entire left/right premise is a scam. We are all people and we have the same problems.
Divide and conquer. We are being played.
I am genuinely happy and surprised to see that it appears that most of us in this comment section agree that Apple is not in the wrong here by simply abiding by the agreement that the union negotiated.
Well done everyone 🙂
Well done everyone 🙂
Dirk Pieters
macrumors 6502a
This isn't about sides. The world isn't black or white. There's a context to everything.
It sounds like there was a contract with conditions - that both parties signed - even those conditions aren't in favour of the union in this case.
You can't sign a contract that does not cover your worst case scenario and then play the victim when that worst case scenario occurs. That would make contracts pointless to begin with.
iamgalt
macrumors 6502a
jlc1978
macrumors 604
I am not sure where you are, but from your phrasing I'm guessing Europe. My experience with unions there is they seem t o go on general strikes to disrupt daily life to get wage and benefit increases. The plus side is I can still walk along the beach to get dinner or a drink.
Taking this story at face value, the union wanted certain guarantees:
1. If their store was relocated to another part of town (i.e., a “new” store), the union members would have first rights to employment at the new location
2. If their store was closed permanently, the union members would have a guaranteed severance package
There was no third option in the contract (relocation to another existing store). Which immediately raises other questions:
1. Does Apple guarantee severance to non-union employees? (I don’t know)
2. Supposing none of the employees were unionized in that store, would all of them have been offered a job at a nearby location? (I doubt it…)
1. If their store was relocated to another part of town (i.e., a “new” store), the union members would have first rights to employment at the new location
2. If their store was closed permanently, the union members would have a guaranteed severance package
There was no third option in the contract (relocation to another existing store). Which immediately raises other questions:
1. Does Apple guarantee severance to non-union employees? (I don’t know)
2. Supposing none of the employees were unionized in that store, would all of them have been offered a job at a nearby location? (I doubt it…)
whoknows2597
macrumors 6502
Not sure how being literate amounts to being a bot? Apple and the union worked on a contract, but the union failed to address the plan in an event of a store closure where Apple had no intentions of opening another store in the area. Anything outside the terms and conditions of a contract requires that both parties come back to an agreement. Apple is giving the employees compensation, but the union wants more, therefore the union should go back to the table, not the other way around
Daedalus65
macrumors regular
I know I'm a day late to this thread, but I can't believe somebody hasn't called out MR on the final paragraph of this story. Shoddy and even wrekless.
"...so it is very likely that Apple is exiting the shopping mall at least partly due to the worsening conditions."
Really? Ya think?
Combine that with a totally baseless exercise in mind reading and irresponsible assertions wrapping up the story. "Nevertheless, the situation could benefit Apple by warning employees at other stores that joining a union does not always work out."
sdfox7
macrumors demi-god
I'm surprised Trumbull is closing, it's a wealthy town in Fairfield County. I wonder why the store is a money-loser.
I7guy
macrumors Westmere
The union got what was in its agreement. That’s the downside of unions.
I’m outed.