Apple to increase starting pay for hourly workers to $22 per hour

Posted:
in General Discussion
Apple has begun notifying employees that it will increase the starting pay for hourly workers to a minimum of $22 per hour, with other markets seeing even higher wages.

Apple Cumberland Mall


Apple issued a statement to employees on Wednesday, informing workers that it would be increasing its hourly wages for retail employees.

"Supporting and retaining the best team members in the world enables us to deliver the best, most innovative, products and services for our customers," said Apple in a statement seen by The Wall Street Journal.

"This year as part of our annual performance review process, we're increasing our overall compensation budget."

The boost to $22 per hour marks a 45% increase over 2018's wages. Salaried positions are also expected to increase.

Apple has likely made the move to get ahead of a chain of unionization efforts that have begun around the U.S. Employees cite stagnant wages, poor benefits, and lax health protocols among the reasons to unionize.

Apple's retail chief Deirdre O'Brien pushed back against recent unionization efforts at some of the company's brick-and-mortar locations in a new video to staff members. She has said that the efforts could slow workplace progress and potentially harm the relationship between Apple and its employees.

Apple has recently been accused of violating the National Labor Relations Act and countering an ongoing union drive at Apple Cumberland Mall in Georgia.

The company previously circulated anti-union materials to some store managers and has hired well-known anti-union lawyers to respond to the Atlanta union campaign.

Read on AppleInsider
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,664member
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
  • Reply 2 of 27
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 3 of 27
    RoderikusRoderikus Posts: 52member
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    That’s because Tim wants to enrich people’s lives
    edited May 2022 doozydozen
  • Reply 4 of 27
    xbitxbit Posts: 390member
    22july2013 said:

    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.
    I'm sure your degree has enabled you to make much more over the course of your career though.

    It's nice to see Apple share more of its success with people on the shop floor. It's amazing what even a whiff of unionization can do!
    iOS_Guy80robin huberdarkvaderdoozydozen
  • Reply 5 of 27
    Paul_BPaul_B Posts: 82member
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.

    What did you do with your Computer Science degree? Sell Lemonade?  Because the most Computer Science advancements were actually in the 80s, including the Operating System you are currently using.  The rest are just blocks added to the fundamental.
    hammeroftruthdarkvader
  • Reply 6 of 27
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,243member
    It’s an awful lot of money for unskilled labor, but still, someone will complain that it’s not enough. 
    iOS_Guy80dbendixen
  • Reply 7 of 27
    hexclock said:
    It’s an awful lot of money for unskilled labor, but still, someone will complain that it’s not enough. 
    Yeah because skilled labor never complains about making enough. People that look down on people for their jobs are just crappy people. 
    ronndarkvaderdanoxforegoneconclusiongrandact73fastasleep12StrangersdoozydozendewmeBlizzard
  • Reply 8 of 27
    Well Apple just made the argument for organized labor for the pro union folks. A 45% increase in four years because they want to keep the union out, imagine what a union could have gotten for them earlier. 
    ronnrobin huberdarkvaderdanoxgrandact73gatorguydoozydozenBlizzard
  • Reply 9 of 27
    hammeroftruthhammeroftruth Posts: 1,303member
    Paul_B said:
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.

    What did you do with your Computer Science degree? Sell Lemonade?  Because the most Computer Science advancements were actually in the 80s, including the Operating System you are currently using.  The rest are just blocks added to the fundamental.
    Yeah that sounds pretty low for someone with a degree. I was making $6/hr working in a movie theater. 
    darkvader
  • Reply 10 of 27
    xbitxbit Posts: 390member
    hexclock said:
    It’s an awful lot of money for unskilled labor, but still, someone will complain that it’s not enough. 

    Tim Cook earned $260 million in 2020. So, even with the pay increase, that's still well over five thousands times more than lowest paid member of staff.
    darkvadergrandact73ronndoozydozen
  • Reply 11 of 27
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member
    Threats of unionizing works.
    danoxgrandact73gatorguyronndoozydozen
  • Reply 12 of 27
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    For those asking what job I had, it was a federal government job, in Canada. I mentioned my salary in US dollars to make it easier for everyone to understand, but of course I was paid in Canadian dollars. 

    The government may not pay as well as the private sector, but there are some things you can do only in the government, which can be very interesting jobs. I can't tell you more or I'd have to ..... ...
    ronn
  • Reply 13 of 27
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,336member
    Paul_B said:
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.

    What did you do with your Computer Science degree? Sell Lemonade?  Because the most Computer Science advancements were actually in the 80s, including the Operating System you are currently using.  The rest are just blocks added to the fundamental.
    OP clearly stated the $8.00 was the wage they received directly after earning a degree in the mid 80's, which equates to about a $24.00 an hour starting wage today. Which is nothing to scoff at. What does it matter if the advancements in computer science were made in the 80's, that doesn't mean the salaries immediately went way up in direct response to those advancements?

    It's as if you took as swipe at the OP for making $8.00 an hour with a computer science degree and I am not sure why? :/

    "What did you do with your Computer Science degree? Sell Lemonade"?




    muthuk_vanalingamronnentropys
  • Reply 14 of 27
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member
    hexclock said:
    It’s an awful lot of money for unskilled labor, but still, someone will complain that it’s not enough. 
    Maybe for 1995, but not today. The average rent in America is about $1,300 - 1,500. The minimum wage is $7.25. If one were to work 40 hours/ week, every week, with zero time off, that is $15,000/ year. And that's before taxes and expenses: rent, sales tax, gas, healthcare, childcare, food, car insurance, etc. 

    At $22/ hour, with the same working hours as above, that comes out to $45,760/ year. Which is about $3,800/ month before taxes/ expenses. But at this salary, you will have to start to pay much more in federal taxes. According to Smart Asset, your income after federal tax deductions is around $37,000. So after the avg. rent of $1,500 that leaves about $1600/ month for every other expense. Gas, utilities, car insurance, car payment, student loans, credit card debt, groceries, haircuts, child care costs, health insurance, medicine, clothing, all of which have increased in price like crazy these past couple years.

    It's definitely not an "awful lot of money," especially working for a multi-trillion dollar company. It is actually just enough to get by and live paycheck to paycheck, in some areas. If a medical expense comes up, you are right back in debt. And Allah help you if you live in a high COL area where the average rent is $2000- 3000.

    My parents' and grandparents' generation could buy houses with an "unskilled labor" job, with only one of them working. That is definitely beyond impossible today.
    edited May 2022 danoxgrandact73gatorguyronn12Strangersdoozydozen
  • Reply 15 of 27
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.
    In today's world you don't need some fancy degree to make decent money. Or maybe just get a 2yr degree instead of a 4 or 6yr degree. I don't know why kids today spend $150,000-250,000 on a degree. Unless you're doing something very specialized it's a waste of money IMO. Now these very kids want the government to bail them out. A fancy piece of paper today doesn't guarantee success like it may have 20-30yrs ago. 
    edited May 2022 entropys
  • Reply 16 of 27
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    hexclock said:
    It’s an awful lot of money for unskilled labor, but still, someone will complain that it’s not enough. 
    I wouldn't necessarily call this unskilled labor. I mean they're not just standing behind a cash register all day or just folding clothes. If I were working in an Apple Store, I'd find that comment rather insulting and very disingenuous. In today's world $20/hr should be minimum wage.  The $10-15/hr wage most are getting simply isn't enough. 
    tyler82muthuk_vanalingamronnfastasleepdoozydozen
  • Reply 17 of 27
    dbendixendbendixen Posts: 27member
    tyler82 said:
    Threats of unionizing works.
    Seems like a win/win/win. No union = no union dues plus they got a pay increase anyway and Apple may not have to deal with a union. 
    tyler82doozydozen
  • Reply 18 of 27
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member
    macxpress said:
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.
    In today's world you don't need some fancy degree to make decent money. Or maybe just get a 2yr degree instead of a 4 or 6yr degree. I don't know why kids today spend $150,000-250,000 on a degree. Unless you're doing something very specialized it's a waste of money IMO. Now these very kids want the government to bail them out. A fancy piece of paper today doesn't guarantee success like it may have 20-30yrs ago. 
    Hyperbole. Nobody is spending 150-250k on a degree other than lawyers or doctors, who are able to pay that back within 10 years. Most degrees are within 50-100k. The problem is the interest rates that are charged and then compound on a loan that large. On top of that there are other life expenses, so you are not able to pay off enough of that student loan in time before interest starts getting out of hand. So that 50k loan ends up being 100k over 15- 20 years. If we're not going to provide free higher education to American students (at the detriment of losing our global standing), then at least student loans should be 0% interest.

    We bailed out the financial industry that destroyed our economy with trillions of handouts and quantitative easing. Why not give just a fraction of that back to the American people, the ones who build, fund, and make this country run so that these companies can have the record profits.
    ronntht
  • Reply 19 of 27
    danoxdanox Posts: 2,804member
    macxpress said:
    Dang. That's some amazing money for retail. 
    I was making about US$8/hr in the mid 80s, directly after earning my degree in computer science. Since the dollar was worth about 3x as much then as it is now, that's the same effective salary as I was making. No degree needed anymore. Nice work if you can get it.
    In today's world you don't need some fancy degree to make decent money. Or maybe just get a 2yr degree instead of a 4 or 6yr degree. I don't know why kids today spend $150,000-250,000 on a degree. Unless you're doing something very specialized it's a waste of money IMO. Now these very kids want the government to bail them out. A fancy piece of paper today doesn't guarantee success like it may have 20-30yrs ago. 

    Just wait when the stay at people (workers) experience, companies hiring zoom people from around the world at a cheaper wage, being home won’t be so fun anymore.

    Self replacing yourself, served up on a company plate.
    edited May 2022
  • Reply 20 of 27
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,020member
    hexclock said:
    It’s an awful lot of money for unskilled labor, but still, someone will complain that it’s not enough. 
    Next, you will say being a server or waiter is unskilled labor. Perhaps you should work in the service industry for one year.
    ronnfastasleepdoozydozendewmemacxpress
Sign In or Register to comment.