A major first at Apple: the American multinational is facing its first strike. Unionized employees at one of its stores near Baltimore voted on Saturday May 11 in favor of a work stoppage, after more than a year of negotiations with Apple management.
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The employees of this Apple Store, based in Towson, a town in the suburbs of Baltimore east of UNITED STATEShad already achieved a historic first in June 2022, by voting to form a union, which had never happened in an Apple store in the United States.
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They then joined the ranks of the IAM union which mainly represents technicians, particularly in the aviation sector, and they negotiated a new professional contract with the multinational based in California. Discussions notably stalled on “ work-life balance, unpredictable hours that disrupt personal life, and salaries that do not reflect the cost of living in the area », Explains a press release from IAM.
The Townson store has about 100 employees. Some 98% of those who voted were in favor of a work stoppage, according to a union representative. The strike could take place before the next negotiation meeting scheduled for May 21.
In other stores, anger is brewing, but employees often remain reserved. Another union, the CWA, filed a complaint on Wednesday May 8 against the firm for attempts to intimidate its staff from joining a union.
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Apple’s fear of damaging its image
Apple carefully cultivates a polite image, physically embodied by its luxurious stores. A picket line in front of one of them would harm its brand image, and would be a first in the United States. The company did not immediately respond to a request from AFP on Saturday.
The American union wave born in a few warehousesAmazon during the Covid-19 pandemic has spread to other groups, notably Starbucks and other chains, but also Apple.
Employees at another store of the Californian company, in New Jersey, are also voting this weekend to decide whether to join a union. The agency responsible for the right to work, the NLRB, has received numerous complaints against Apple, regularly accused of trying to discourage its staff from unionizing.
In France, last September, nearly a quarter of employees in Apple stores went on strike on the day of the global launch of the iPhone 15, to demand a salary increase at least equal to inflation.
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