Amber Neely
Apple's newly unionized store has reached out to Tim Cook, asking the company to provide information on benefits offered to non-unionized employees.
In a letter to Tim Cook spotted by The Verge, the negotiating committee writes that they are disappointed to learn that the company is withholding new health and education benefits being offered to employees who are not unionized.
The letter also accuses Apple of spreading misinformation by saying that workers would need to bargain for those benefits to be included in their contract.
Additionally, it claims that Apple has not provided any details about the new benefits, which prevents the committee from including them in upcoming contract negotiations.
The letter finishes by asking Apple to "refrain from delivering misinformation regarding why Towson employees will not be offered the benefits at this time."
In June, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certified the union election. It came to be known as the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (CORE) and is partnered with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Apple claimed that it would not challenge the vote and that it would plan to bargain with workers at the store "in good faith."
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
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Andrew Orr
21 Comments
I think Cook did mention Apple will slow hiring and reduce head count soon.
I would look at Towson store and start with the worse performing employees
They need to reread their union contract. Or have someone read it to them.
Once a union is put in place unionized employees can no longer deal directly with the company, and vice versa. This is simply a structural, process, and legal matter that all parties have to abide by. Everything has to be negotiated through the union representatives who represent the union members/employees. If Apple is stating that certain things need to be negotiated through the collective bargaining process they are simply stating the obvious. This is a procedural issue and Apple is required to play by the rules. It doesn't matter at this point whether Apple preferred to have a union or not. The rules are the rules and Apple isn't going to do anything that is going to get the company in trouble. The union is equally responsible for playing by the rules too. I'm sure the unionized workers will eventually figure this out and make sure that their grievances are funneled through the proper negotiation channels as defined by their collective bargaining agreement. This is what they wanted so they need to make it work.
They can be “disappointed” Al they want. Apple is likewise disappointed that they unionized - especially after Apple countered with a very generous wage and benefits.