Almost 100 workers at Apple Penn Square, Oklahoma, are to vote on forming a labor union, potentially making it the second US Apple Store to unionize.
Staff at Apple Penn Square previously filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board in the hopes of getting an official vote. Now they have this, and voting is set to conclude on Friday, October 14, 2022.
According to CNN Business, just under 100 employees are eligible to vote. It's not clear how many people work at Apple Penn Square, but staff must individually join a union before they can then take part in such a vote.
There are multiple US unions that retail staff are able to join, but in this case the store's workers are hoping to be represented by the Communication Workers of America union.
"I want everyone to realize unions aren't just for those bad and hard workplaces, it is for everyone in America, we have the right to unionize," Patrick Hart from the store told CNN. "I just want people to realize that, because it can do a lot of good for a lot of people who feel they're stuck in their workplace."
"They don't have to leave their job, they can just make their current one a better place," he continued.
Hart also said that he was weary of hearing from his managers that "that's just how it is," whenever concerns where raised.
While working to improve pay is a factor in unionization, staff at the store have said that the impetus for them is to "have a seat at the table and negotiate what our experience looks like."
Apple has not commented publicly on the vote. If Apple Penn Square staff vote to unionize, they will be the second store to do so, following Maryland.