The fight for fair treatment has seen many major victories in recent days. After Amazon and Starbucks employees formed unions, it seems that Apple witnessed a crack with workers at a Maryland store voting to organize one of their own.
This Wednesday, Apple’s employees in Towson are scheduled to vote on whether or not they want a union. The election will take place at their store located at the center where their store is located.
The polls are open for voting between Wednesday and Saturday at selected times, with the count happening on Saturday evening.
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In a bold effort to show solidarity, workers from around the country have come together as part of an organization called AppleCORE (Apple Coalition Of Organized Retail Employees). The group is supported by both the Aerospace Workers trade union and the International Association of Machinists.
The AppleCore organizers are not the only ones to try and get a union vote. In fact, a store in Atlanta attempted earlier but pulled their petition back in April. However, there’s hope for employees at Grand Central Terminal Station in New York City as they have been working to organize their own union.
In a move that surprised many, the AppleCORE group wrote an open letter to CEO Tim Cook in May detailing their decision was about them as workers gaining access rights they currently don’t have.
A worker-organizer spoke with the Washington Post and said that he wanted to unionize so they could have a seat at the table, having worked with the company for seven years.
“More money is nice,” he said. “But it’s really about agency.”
In an effort to address critics of its working conditions, Apple has reemphasized the benefits and compensation it offers retail workers in a statement.
“We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members, and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple,” the statement wrote. “We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full time and part time employees, including health care,tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants, and many other benefits.”
The company announced that it will be raising the minimum wage for workers in America to $22 per hour.
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