Apple Store in Maryland Makes History by Voting to Unionize

[cmcbhi]

Depends on the union.
I have personal knowledge that a union forced Goodrich to keep on an employee even when he commonly showed up to work knee walking drunk. Doesn't it make you feel safer driving on Goodrich tires potentially made while the tire builder was dead dunk?
Personally, I will drive to a non-union store as long as there is one.
Most union members are lazy slugs.

 

[BruiserBear]

I’ve worked in jobs with unions and jobs without. Unions can be a real double edged sword in some situations. While they can help with arbitration in issues with an employer, they can make it impossible to negotiate a better salary. The employees may also me shocked because they could see their paychecks decrease in a negotiation. They may find themselves paying high union dues, higher insurance premiums, and retirement accounts. While that’s not all bad, for young people who may be working at Apple as a temporary stop on their career path, retirement and union dues are probably unwanted when they need to make rent, pay for gas, and buy groceries. (I’m in no way anti-union. I just think that some jobs need them, others don’t. Unions don’t always solve employee problems and create another layer of bureaucracy at a large company)

You say you’re not anti union, but then say that they might result in higher insurance premiums and retirement accounts, which is hilarious as that is the exact opposite of what happens. Why do you think companies fight so hard to avoid unions? When workers organize they have more bargaining power to make their benefits cheaper.

You also mention these jobs being a temporary stop for young people, but then mention negotiating a higher salary. What percentage of young people do you think do that? 😆

 

[siddavis]

Actually its fantastic move for all the staff and offers greater protections. Apple will not close down the store, as they would face multiple lawsuits and bad publicity. They are a Public company at the end of the day.

I will hold my reaction, but I really hate that you never get the full story with these type of moves. What is the cost - benefit? We are just told they 'voted to unionize'? What are the expected consequences (good or bad)? I am sure the employees have a LOT more information at hand which is where it should be. It is just annoying that as a customer they make it seem like such a benign move.

 

[I7guy]

Actually its fantastic move for all the staff and offers greater protections. Apple will not close down the store, as they would face multiple lawsuits and bad publicity. They are a Public company at the end of the day.

There is technically nothing stopping apple from closing down a store.

 

[BruiserBear]

I will hold my reaction, but I really hate that you never get the full story with these type of moves. What is the cost - benefit? We are just told they 'voted to unionize'? What are the expected consequences (good or bad)? I am sure the employees have a LOT more information at hand which is where it should be. It is just annoying that as a customer they make it seem like such a benign move.

Why would you expect to have insight into this process as a customer? Do you know what the employees at your local grocery store make or what their insurance costs them each month?

The fact of the matter is a group of employees have far more bargaining power than one. The union always gets more out of a company, which is precisely why companies don’t like unions.

 

[I7guy]

Labor unions built America.

Yes, lots of immigrants at the turn of the century.

 

[I7guy]

Let’s flip that script for a sec. Another way of saying what you just said is “Apple was under no obligation to take care of its staff during COV19, and while it did so the there’s no way for staff to be sure it will do so again in the future, but a union contract *can* guarantee that”

Sure and apple could decline the demands. And the union could go on strike and then the union pays the salaries. Apple is so big they could wait it out. But there is less incentive for apple to do this type of thing in the future with a union.

 

[ikramerica]

In the beginning unions worked then they inevitably became corrupt. Apple can automate the whole store with a couple of security personnel. Done.

Labor Unions in the USA were founded on communism by communists as an opportunistic reaction to exploitation. We were trending that way faster in the 30s during the depression.

What kept the USA out of Communism was WW2 and the cold war, combined with new worker protection laws that made unions less necessary.

What dragged us back towards communism was Kennedy allowing unionization of public employees without any valid reason to unionize. Now there is a cycle of money into those unions, who then support democrat candidates, who then give the unions more money, who then give the politicians more money, who then enact more pro-union laws.

 

[urnotl33t]

Minimum wage didn’t really keep up with the part that it should be a living wage. I suspect if it had, then the cost of goods and services would have inflated even more than they did since then.

You can’t just throw more money in society and expect everything to just be affordable and cheap.

FDR’s good-sounding idea and good intentions, didn’t in the end really succeed in reality.

(Or, one could argue, it was actually a calculated move to trap more people in poverty and give more control to the government. Not all politicians are here to help us, true?)

Indeed.

It was FDR that froze wages in 1943. It was the lack of "wage attraction" that kept job growth anemic during that time, which lead to the creation of the then-new "benefits package". We know that as the "2 weeks vacation, 5 days sick leave, (and now) group health plan, (and now) 401k matching, etc.". None of that existed in the 1930s. It was created then due to no other means of attracting new talent in the vacuum created by the wage-freezing period.

FDR's plans had good intentions, but (not entirely his fault; blame congress just as much) it was all executed roughly and unevenly. Much of it later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Couty. Yes, it was an emergency situation and "something" had to be done. Inflation was out of control. It mostly didn't work, tho. It did for short periods, until the economic engine was back under its own power in 1944. In contrast to FDR's own stance in the 1930s, "slash federal budget!", it was ultimately federal spending that rescued the economy in the 1940s.

That's because, while we had the Federal Reserve, it didn't have the powers (granted by Congress) it does today, and we didn't have the Open Market Committee to set monetary policy (which we do today). Like them or not, they saved the world. Twice. You don't have to like it, and much remains uncertain what the long term effects will be in 50 years. The 1930s and early 1940s problems were monetary, not fiscal. It's a fascinating study.

So while FDR gets the "atta boy" in history texts, he also deserves an almost-equal amount of "bad Frankie! Into the corner!". In the short term, he stabilized things. In the longest-view, he ultimately made things worse. Which lead us to today's health care garbage, and tons of government agencies requiring federal funding (however, I do think many of them are good ideas and really do help; it's just a funny contrast to FDR himself).

Inflation source: https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.n...250&lbl=0&d1=19290919&d2=19450619&h=300&w=600

(https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/inflation-cpi)

 

[litmag01]

The catalyst for this started at least a decade ago, probably more. Retail management has had years to perfect their methods of squeezing as much from employees as legally possible. Having some employees work for months (even years) just under the weekly threshold of required full-time benefits bought Apple a lot of anger from current (and former) employees. I hope this helps all retail employees.

 

[freediverx]

The employees are hopeful the new move will encourage Apple to provide better pay and working condition, both of which the company has already pledged to do.

Pledging and doing are not the same thing. They only pledged to do so after the unionization efforts. Even if they make some concessions there’s no guarantee they won’t take them away at a later time if the employees don‘t unionize.

 

[Wackery]

Unions in the modern era are corrupt and a money siphon

 

[spazzcat]

Apple could do that. But if that were to happen, I'm sure the employees would go to the National Labor Relations Board and ask them to look into it. If the NLRB determines that Apple closed the store in retailiation, that would be a violation of federal labor law.

Discriminating against employees because of their union activities or sympathies (Section 8(a)(3)) | National Labor Relations Board

It is unlawful to discourage (or encourage) union activities or sympathies "by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment." For example, employers may not discharge, lay off, or discipline employees, or refuse to hire job applicants, because...

www.nlrb.gov

Section 8(a)(3) of the Act makes it an unfair labor practice for an employer, "by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment[,] to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization." (An employer that violates Section 8(a)(3) also derivatively violates Section 8(a)(1).) For example, you may not:

• Close one of your facilities, if your motive is to chill unionism at any remaining facility and such an effect is reasonably foreseeable.

On the other hand, Apple could close all their retail locations and get away with that according to the ruling in Textile Workers Union v. Darlington Mfg. Co., 380 U.S. 263 (1965)

1. It is not an unfair labor practice for an employer to close his entire business, even if the closing is due to anti-union animus. Pp. 380 U. S. 269-274.



At least that's my understanding of it. 🤷‍♂️

Walmart shut down every store that unionized.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

WE as customers will just pay an even higher APPLE TAX for this Unionization of APPLE stores.

And it’s a problem why? Buy something else then

 

[lindros2]

Sure and apple could decline the demands. And the union could go on strike and then the union pays the salaries. Apple is so big they could wait it out. But there is less incentive for apple to do this type of thing in the future with a union.

An Apple Store is not like a milk plant nor a public school.

In Atlanta, the store most likely to go union is Cumberland Mall. My car was keyed there. My wife was robbed outside Costco there. The T-Mobile store was a hub for use of stolen identities (including mine - to, ironically, steal iPhones).

PHOTOS: Cumberland Mall jewelry store robbery

PHOTOS: Cumberland Mall jewelry store robbery

www.11alive.com

3 teens charged in shooting outside Cumberland Mall

Three teenagers who were injured in a shooting outside Cumberland Mall last week are facing gun and drug charges, according to court records.

www.ajc.com

I'm a former union worker. It did nothing for me other than put money in the pocket of those at the top of the Pyramid scheme.

IBEW and the Boilermakers continue to be modern-day Mafia. I've been to IBEW's HQ in DC - it's amazing. They've made billions from ESPN, Verizon, and other workers. Teacher unions have destroyed our children's education.

 

[Chevysales]

More Apple stores may follow this. I wouldn’t be surprised but this seems like a bad move. Since Apple can easily close down this store and move its location. Thus, not having to deal with a union.

I hope they do.

 

[0194839]

Yeah I really don’t care whether they joined or didn’t join a union. Where’s the new OG HomePod? That’s what really should be on everybody’s mind.

 

[CordovaLark]

Well Played China. Well Played. I can see it already. China will win the tech race.
This would be the time to short all American tech companies.

The irony being that Unions are on the rise in China and manufacturing has started to shift further South, or even to Africa.

 

[Chevysales]

An Apple Store is not like a milk plant nor a public school.

In Atlanta, the store most likely to go union is Cumberland Mall. My car was keyed there. My wife was robbed outside Costco there. The T-Mobile store was a hub for use of stolen identities (including mine - to, ironically, steal iPhones).

PHOTOS: Cumberland Mall jewelry store robbery

PHOTOS: Cumberland Mall jewelry store robbery

www.11alive.com

3 teens charged in shooting outside Cumberland Mall

Three teenagers who were injured in a shooting outside Cumberland Mall last week are facing gun and drug charges, according to court records.

www.ajc.com

I'm a former union worker. It did nothing for me other than put money in the pocket of those at the top of the Pyramid scheme.

IBEW and the Boilermakers continue to be modern-day Mafia. I've been to IBEW's HQ in DC - it's amazing. They've made billions from ESPN, Verizon, and other workers. Teacher unions have destroyed our children's education.

Unions… wonder if their demands have anything to do with prices. ie. Cars versus unions pay for employees and the cost of cars. Or the sabotage of product they are building that got sent to us the consumers to buy. This during some tense times pre strike 1995/97/98 that I personally experienced.

These are not coal miners they are Apples employees! Based on the amount of employees in the Apple Stores I’ve frequented doesn’t look like they are treated to shabby. Most likely pay is higher than other local retailers.

 

[CordovaLark]

Apple should automate the whole store. It’s time for apple to revisit their retail business model and make some needed strategic upgrades and changes.

Yes automate a store... from the same company that brings you Siri. Which just learned what a Dog was last week.

 

[Chevysales]

Yeah I really don’t care whether they joined or didn’t join a union. Where’s the new OG HomePod? That’s what really should be on everybody’s mind.

I love mine I’ve had since 2017ish and would buy another in a second if able too. Though it took the end of them to push me to pair it. We use it daily.

 

[DrEGPU]

Don't see how the "Maryland Apple Store" can vote to Unionize as it's only the present employees that have voted to do so and not the store itˈself.

It’s not THE Maryland store. There are two in Bethesda, Maryland

 

[Unami]

WE as customers will just pay an even higher APPLE TAX for this Unionization of APPLE stores.

Well, as long as we pay Apple Tax and ridiculous prices for RAM and SSD Upgrades, I sure hope that that money goes to the employees on the lowest rung of the latter and not to someone who‘s already worth 2 Billion. That‘s the least I‘d expect from a premium product.

I‘ve had good experience with unions as an employee (more benefits and more bargaining power) and bad ones as a freelancer (unionized minimum wages meant in my line of work that there were fewer people who got employed and the rest had to do their work as freelancers, also I‘v dine work for unions, working together with incompetent people who wouldn‘t be able to hold their job in the free market). Either way, if employees feel the need to unionize, there‘ usually a good reason for that. Especially im companies that “pledge“ to improve sorking conditions after someone treatens to unionize.

 

[mjs916]

I don't know a lot about unions, but I know Apple has left them out there like canon fodder in the middle of a pandemic while their corporate employees are only just starting to go back in person.

I worked for Apple as a contractor where I was a de facto Apple employee but not technically one (so that Apple could avoid labor laws and paying their share of social security payroll tax). In our training we were told we were the face of Apple and that to the customer we *were* Apple (and to that point, we had to lie and say we worked in an Apple call center). We were not paid like we were Apple or the face of it.

I remember hearing about a hiring agency that was a contractor for Apple with the option after 6 months to be brought on under Apple itself. I made sure it was actually Apple that was hiring me specifically because of the stories.

 

[kesenwangs]

More Apple stores may follow this. I wouldn’t be surprised but this seems like a bad move. Since Apple can easily close down this store and move its location. Thus, not having to deal with a union.

I don’t foresee this being an action that Apple would take, and unions usually spread like wildfire. Apple isn’t about to close out all its stores to prevent unionizations. They tried to talk employees out of it and they still voted to unionize. Closing store after store doesn’t seem likely.