No, you should not be concerned about Apple Store employees trying to unionise. In fact, the general public should rally for the cause for unionisation among Apple retail store employees. And here’s the story on why they are working towards unionisation and why the public should care.
The report came from The Washington Post on Feb 18, stating that a handful of employees currently working in Apple retail stores across the U.S. are quietly organising to unionize. The plan of unionization is said to be caused by the dissent of the stagnant hourly wages Apple pays to their retail workers amidst the wave of increasing inflation rates as of recent and inspired by the successful unionization of other retail workers in the country, such as those working in Starbucks.
Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to hit a $1 trillion USD market cap during intraday trading on Aug. 2, 2018. It hit a $2 trillion valuation just over two years later on Aug. 19, 2020. And as of Jan 3, 2022, the Cupertino company is now sitting at a market value of over $3 trillion USD. To put this gigantic figure into perspective, the GDP of India, a country with a population nearing 1.5 billion, in the year 2020-2021 is just $2.7 trillion USD.
However, according to the report, the retail employees at Apple don’t feel that Apple’s success in the industry, isn’t distributed fairly among the mega-corporation, especially for those working lower in the hierarchy.
Employees say Apple’s hourly rates of $17 to more than $30 per hour, are usually in line with what other retail jobs pay in the regions where they’re employed. But most other retailers do not earn so much in revenue, nor are they valued at near $3 trillion. Apple Store employees interviewed by The Washington Post believe their knowledge and passion for the products help drive sales and that they should share more fully in the company’s success.
The report claims that groups of retail employees working in at least two Apple stores in the U.S. are preparing to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board in the near future, and at least a half dozen more locations are said to be in less-advanced stages of the unionization process.
As for why the public should care, if the unionization of Apple retail workers garners enough support, the move will open doors for workers to be more aware of their rights to unionize and to demand higher wages amongst the wave of rising living costs. In fact, if the welfare of workers is well maintained and protected, the workers feel more valued and enthusiastic at their jobs, the company’s reputation as an employer will be more favourable, and the end consumer will be receiving more friendly customer service.
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