Apple employees filed a petition to unionize a store in St Louis, which partnered with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). If the filing with the United States National Labor Relations Board will be successful, the St. Louis store would be the third Apple store to make this move.
(Photo : Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 26: A press preview of Apple's new Knightsbridge store on July 26, 2022 in London, England. Apple has 520 stores across the globe with 40 of them in the UK.
Unionizing Apple Store in St. Louis
An Apple store in St. Louis was filed to be unionized by its employees with the National Labor Relations Board of the United States. Based on a report from 9to5Mac, the petition hopes to represent 82 workers in the retail store. If the union will be successful, this will be the third store that Apple will have to negotiate legally with the employee's working conditions.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) hopes to represent these workers as they file to unionize the store. IAM is also the one that organized the first successful unionization by the Maryland Apple Store employees.
Among the 272 Apple stores located in the United States, the St. Louis store aims to be the third store to be unionized. Engadget reported that the members aim to follow the steps of Machinists in Maryland last June and the Communications Workers of America in Oklahoma last October. Similar conditions and moves were in the talks by the employees regarding the union.
Daniel Bertilson, an employee in St. Louis Apple store, stated that "As an employee of Apple for over five years, I have unfortunately had to watch as the culture of this company has shifted from truly embodying a people-first mentality." He added that he looks forward to voting yes on the said election, as it will allow him and other members of the retail store to negotiate with Apple as they work with the company.
Apple's Response
Apple responded to an email from Bloomberg and said that they have already made changes and enhancements to the benefits of the employees, including increasing pay in the past years. "We're proud to provide our team members with strong compensation and exceptional benefits," the company stated. The relationship between the company and its employees remains open, direct, and collaborative. Apple believes that this will be the best way for them to provide an excellent experience, not only to their customers but also to their members.
Also Read: Apple Employees Vote to Unionize in Oklahoma, Becomes the Second Store to Form a Union in the US
Aside from this, the Machinists filed a separate complaint and accuses Apple of holding mandatory anti-union meetings, which is against federal law. The company allegedly told its staff that organizing a union would not be necessary and might penalize them as an employee.
Looking back to other locations that have filed to unionize, several allegations and speculations circulated to the public on how Apple treats their employees unfairly. The NLRB issued a complaint to Apple last September, as the company was accused of interrogating its workers at a World Trade Center store because of workplace activism and discriminating against union supporters. Despite these several claims, Apple disagrees and denies all of these allegations.
Related Article: Apple Employees in Scotland Form the First Union in the UK
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Written by Inno Flores
