Atlanta, GA Apple retail workers plan to file for union election

Posted:
in General Discussion
Workers at an Apple Store in Atlanta, Georgia are planning to become the first Apple retail location to file for a union election, according to a new report.

Apple Cumberland Mall
Apple Cumberland Mall


The proposed union would include 107 workers at the Cumberland Mall retail store in northwest Atlanta. As of Wednesday, about 70% of workers have signed cards of support and plan to file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board, Bloomberg has reported.

According to internal documents viewed by the publication, the effort is backed by the Communications Workers of America and is part of a broader campaign to organize technology sector employees. It would be called Apple Workers Union.

Organizers at the store say wages have fallen below the living wage in Atlanta. The starting pay is $20 an hour, far below the $31 needed for a single parent with one child would need to live. The union will ask for base pay to be raised to at least $28 an hour.

In addition, the workers are also asking for larger raises to offset inflation and a greater profit sharing program to match corporate employees.

The Atlanta store isn't the only brick-and-mortar Apple retail location to push for unionization. Workers at the Grand Central Apple Store are also working to form a union, and have recently published demands on their own website under the moniker Fruit Stand Workers United.

Apple has taken steps to increase pay and benefits for its retail employees in an effort to retain workers in an increasingly tough labor market.

If the workers succeed, it sets the stage for a battle between organized labor and Apple. The campaign comes along a broader push for organizing among tech companies. In fact, the effort to unionize at the Atlanta store started when several workers began following the fight over the Amazon union in Alabama.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    Would the proposed union want everyone's salary raised by the same percent so that the lowest wage is $28/hr, or do they want only the people currently below $28/hr to get boosted to $28/hr. What do they want?
    sdw2001
  • Reply 2 of 19
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Ridiculous and shortsighted. Starting pay of $20 an hour isn’t enough? For retail? If all they’re going to end up doing is reducing employment. $28 an hour to work at an Apple Store. You have to be kidding me. And where the hell do they get this living wage of $31 an hour?  That’s $62,000 a year with two weeks unpaid vacation! New teachers in well to do areas start at about $55,000 a year with a bachelor’s.  The entitlement in this country has gotten unbelievable. The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. 
    pscooter63
  • Reply 3 of 19
    urashidurashid Posts: 127member
    sdw2001 said:The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. /s

    You forgot to add /s at the end so I added it.  You're welcome ;)
    fred1tmay
  • Reply 4 of 19
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,243member
    sdw2001 said:
    Ridiculous and shortsighted. Starting pay of $20 an hour isn’t enough? For retail? If all they’re going to end up doing is reducing employment. $28 an hour to work at an Apple Store. You have to be kidding me. And where the hell do they get this living wage of $31 an hour?  That’s $62,000 a year with two weeks unpaid vacation! New teachers in well to do areas start at about $55,000 a year with a bachelor’s.  The entitlement in this country has gotten unbelievable. The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. 
    Work for a master plumber for four years, get certified, and you’ll end up making 4 times that within a decade if you work hard. With no student debt. 
    dewmeTheObannonFile
  • Reply 5 of 19
    hexclock said:
    sdw2001 said:
    Ridiculous and shortsighted. Starting pay of $20 an hour isn’t enough? For retail? If all they’re going to end up doing is reducing employment. $28 an hour to work at an Apple Store. You have to be kidding me. And where the hell do they get this living wage of $31 an hour?  That’s $62,000 a year with two weeks unpaid vacation! New teachers in well to do areas start at about $55,000 a year with a bachelor’s.  The entitlement in this country has gotten unbelievable. The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. 
    Work for a master plumber for four years, get certified, and you’ll end up making 4 times that within a decade if you work hard. With no student debt. 
    But that requires effort. The problem is people want the pay without putting in the effort. “Showing up” is not effort.
    MadbumTheObannonFile
  • Reply 6 of 19
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,949member
    OMG, workers are organizing! Clutch your pearls, ladies. 
    paxmantmay
  • Reply 7 of 19
    AppleishAppleish Posts: 688member
    Speaking as our resident billionaire, I believe this is a bad idea. Pass the Grey Poupon, worms.
  • Reply 8 of 19
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    Tim Cook needs to immediately reduce number of Apple store workers and start using automation. Sales be done online and stores only need to be staffed with half the people they have now. Way too many people right now, such a waste .

    Notice how many workers are at McDonald’s stores now with those order screens?


    edited April 2022
  • Reply 9 of 19
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    OMG, workers are organizing! Clutch your pearls, ladies. 
    Yes, shocking to think workers at the lowest level should need representation. Whatever for?  Let them eat cake. 
    dewmetmayrobin huberiOS_Guy80
  • Reply 10 of 19
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,335member
    Why should we really care about how much Apple pays its employees? All I care about is how much Apple charges me for its products and that they don’t sacrifice on quality to reduce prices. Based on the mountain of cash that Apple accumulates and reports on every quarter I’d say that they probably have a bit of flexibility around how to manage their capital expenses, including executive compensation,  while keeping both their employees and customers happy. 

    Working at an Apple Store is actually quite different than working in a coal mine in a company owned town and getting paid in company money. They can easily quit if Apple doesn’t treat them to their liking. Apple’s competition will hire them.

    This is Apple's internal problem to deal with, not ours.
    tmayiOS_Guy80
  • Reply 11 of 19
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    What is the minimum wage paid by other similar companies, like Best Buy?

    Would sales employees at Apple in Georgia be happy with $7.25/hour if they also got a 1% commission based on their sales? Perhaps 1% for a customer who is upgrading from an older Apple product, 2% for a new Apple customer, and 3% for a customer who switches from Android.
    iOS_Guy80
  • Reply 12 of 19
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member

    Organizers at the store say wages have fallen below the living wage in Atlanta. The starting pay is $20 an hour, far below the $31 needed for a single parent with one child would need to live. The union will ask for base pay to be raised to at least $28 an hour.

    It is a ridiculous assumption that every job needs to pay a "living wage". Sorry. That is not what determines salary.

    iOS_Guy80
  • Reply 13 of 19
    sdw2001 said:
    Ridiculous and shortsighted. Starting pay of $20 an hour isn’t enough? For retail? If all they’re going to end up doing is reducing employment. $28 an hour to work at an Apple Store. You have to be kidding me. And where the hell do they get this living wage of $31 an hour?  That’s $62,000 a year with two weeks unpaid vacation! New teachers in well to do areas start at about $55,000 a year with a bachelor’s.  The entitlement in this country has gotten unbelievable. The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. 
    What, 40 hrs/week is a normal work week, of course you should be able to live comfortably on that! 
    I don’t know the exact living cost in USA, I live in Sweden and work for an Apple Premium Reseller, with about 20 years experience, and get about 14-15 USD/hour, before tax of course, and I live fine on that, I am even able to save a few hundred dollars every month. 
    *edit* I should ad that I also get a small commission on certain sales, so that ads a few hundred USD/month.
    edited April 2022 robin huberurashiddewme
  • Reply 14 of 19
    sdw2001 said:
    The entitlement in this country has gotten unbelievable. The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. 

    What's absurd is referring to the belief that one should be able to live comfortably on the wages from a full time job "absurd".
  • Reply 15 of 19
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Probably depends how you define 'comfortable'.
    dewme
  • Reply 16 of 19
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    sdw2001 said:
    Ridiculous and shortsighted. Starting pay of $20 an hour isn’t enough? For retail? If all they’re going to end up doing is reducing employment. $28 an hour to work at an Apple Store. You have to be kidding me. And where the hell do they get this living wage of $31 an hour?  That’s $62,000 a year with two weeks unpaid vacation! New teachers in well to do areas start at about $55,000 a year with a bachelor’s.  The entitlement in this country has gotten unbelievable. The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. 
    What, 40 hrs/week is a normal work week, of course you should be able to live comfortably on that! 
    I don’t know the exact living cost in USA, I live in Sweden and work for an Apple Premium Reseller, with about 20 years experience, and get about 14-15 USD/hour, before tax of course, and I live fine on that, I am even able to save a few hundred dollars every month. 
    *edit* I should ad that I also get a small commission on certain sales, so that ads a few hundred USD/month.
    Yes, it’s “normal.”  But it’s not what successful people do.  Ask anyone who has run a business or is working to move up, so to speak.  They work a lot more than 40 hours a week.  
  • Reply 17 of 19
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    sdw2001 said:
    The entitlement in this country has gotten unbelievable. The notion that one should be able to live fairly comfortably by working 40 hours a week is absurd. 

    What's absurd is referring to the belief that one should be able to live comfortably on the wages from a full time job "absurd".
    Where the hell is it written that you’re supposed to live relatively comfortably working “full-time?”  The entitlement is so deeply rooted that you don’t even think twice about your comment.  The belief that a “full-time job“ entitles one to a nice place to live, clothing, good food and modern conveniences is pervasive.  It’s also completely wrong.  Such a guarantee exists nowhere but in people’s minds.  

    Absolutely no successful person I know has that mentality. No business owner, no one moving up the corporate ladder, no one who becomes financially independent in some other line of work, no one. I can tell you my family and I have a fairly comfortable lifestyle…and my wife and I both work a hell of a lot more than 40 hours a week.  I’ve taken additional side jobs, some related to my field, and some not.  I routinely put in 10-12 hour days, if travel and commuting are included.  My Dad is retired and owned a business for 25 years.  If you told him you are entitled to a comfortable lifestyle just because you work “full time,” he’d laugh his ass off and try not to slap you.  

    Don’t even get me started on the notion that everyone  is entitled  to retire at 65.  Now, kindly get off my lawn.  
    edited April 2022
  • Reply 18 of 19
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    crowley said:
    Probably depends how you define 'comfortable'.
    A nice, safe place to live with decent furnishings, utilities, etc. 

    Enough food, and of good quality 

    Enough clothing of good quality 

    Money for household and personal supplies 

    Money for educational needs and enrichment for children (school supplies, trips, extra curricular)

    Modern conveniences such as a reliable car, television, smartphone, appliances, internet, air conditioning, etc.

    Money for leisure activities, some entertainment outside the home.  

     
    —Can’t afford all that? Find a better job.  Work two jobs.  Hustle.  

    Let me share this:  For about the last 4 years, my expenses were positively brutal.  My wife and I made well into the six figures combined.  But our base expenses (mortgage, two modest car payments, childcare, child support, utilities, groceries and supplies) were about $7,500 a month.  We made more money where we could, managed finances carefully and now are somewhat on the other side as childcare expenses are much less, and we make more money.  We were comfortable, but had to watch every dime.  We were and are entitled to nothing.  I simply don’t understand where that nonsense came from.  

  • Reply 19 of 19
    123Go123Go Posts: 17member
    Good on them. In Most western countries workers have paid 4 weeks vacation as a minimum, 2 weeks paid sick leave, paid maternity/paternity  leave. Apple can afford to share more of their profits  with the workers who help creat it. 


    Apple like to be left wing on social issues but on economic issues not so much. 

    Given inflation if your wages are not going up by 7%+ per year you are effectively taking a pay cut.





    urashid
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