President Biden ‘proud’ Apple workers vote to unionize

Happy customers are repeat customers. So are happy employees.

President Joe Biden has lent his support to workers striving to unionize, saying he is “proud” of Apple retail employees in Maryland who have voted to join a union.

Workers have rights

Workers in Maryland voted to join a union on June 18.

The first Apple retail workers to vote to do so, the motion comes at a time when workers globally are waking up to demand their rights.

Apple Store workers in Maryland voted around two-to-one to unionize, according to the National Labour Relations Board. Workers want more representation when it comes to discussions concerning wages and working conditions, particularly since COVID-19.

Reuters tells us the president of the United States told reporters:

“Workers have a right to determine under what condition they are going to work or not work.”

It is probably relevant to observe that Apple recently improved the deal it offers to Apple retail employees as the movement toward unionization gathered strength.

The growing movement

The movement to unionize across retail stores is not confined to Apple. Across the world, as billionaire bosses enjoy space travel more impoverished folks who make the money the rich frat club burns are feeling the pain of the poor deal.

Similar activity is being seen at Starbucks, Amazon and elsewhere and bosses appear to be pushing out all the stops to prevent unions forming. Dozens of Apple retail stores have already expressed interest in unionizing.

The workers voted 65-33 to join a union that is currently clled Apple Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (Apple Core). This will be part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers(IAM).

“I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr.

“They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election. I ask Apple CEO Tim Cook to respect the election results and fast-track a first contract for the dedicated IAM CORE Apple employees in Towson. This victory shows the growing demand for unions at Apple stores and different industries across our nation.”

What it is about

Writing in May, employees explained why they were moving to unionize in a letter sent to Apple CEO, Tim Cook:

“To be clear, the decision to form a union is about us as workers gaining access to rights that we do not currently have,” workers wrote in that letter. “ We are respectfully asking that Apple follow the same neutrality requirements as laid out in its Supplier Code of Conduct under the section, ‘Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining’ so that as employees we can obtain our rights to information and collective bargaining that the law affords us through unionization.”

https://youtu.be/GC5Gmkn92Bg

What happens next?

Recent reports suggest Apple is less than keen on its employees joining a union.

It is perhaps ironic in the context of all this that Apple’s Escape from the Office ad, part of its Apple at Work series of ads, was among the most popular ads shown across YouTube in 2021.

Given the company is also facing strong pushback from its teams concerning its announced return to the office plans, while its creative departments already recognize the growing hunger among workers for trust, respect, and autonomy, perhaps the company can reinvent its approach?

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