Apple Store Employees in New Jersey File to Unionize

[laptech]

When you have CEO's and other senior directors, company presidents and vice presidents being given ever more millions of $$$ in bonuses and other financial perks a year off the backs of their employee's who work minimum wage jobs, this becomes a problem when employee's see the imbalance between executive pay and employee pay and it get's even worse when employee's on low wages ask for a pay rise get told the company cannot afford to give it's employee's a pay rise but yet the company makes darn sure the company executives get their pay rises, bonuses and other financial perks. Then when the employee's complain, their bosses tell them 'tough, if you don't like it, leave'. An employee as an individual has no power at the bargaining table with their bosses BUT unionize and it then becomes a different prospect.

Tim Cook was the one who signed off on the Apple car project, 10 years later and over $10 billion spent the company has nothing tangible to show for it. A huge amount of the car project employee's will lose their jobs, their wages, their company benefits, their health plan but will Tim Cook still get his yearly bonus and other perks because of it, hell yes he will. It is always the lowest paid workers in a company that makes the company profitable but yet a huge percentage of those profits is given to the company hierarchy whilst the low paid employee's are told to suck it up and stop complaining.

Treat employees fairly, if a company is doing well, see to it that the employee's are financially compensated (pay rises). The problem is this rarely happens because the money goes to the company executives and not the employees. Company executives get richer and richer whilst their employee's still struggle on low wages. Unions gives employee's a collective voice which enables them to challenge this financial imbalance between company executives and low paid employee's

 

[NagasakiGG]

That's just because unlike in the EU, in the US waiters are actually underpaid to factor in the tip they get from the customers.

I know, and yet there are so many people defending this. I mean, I know it's not the waiters' problem. But the persecution of customers who may just round up and/or yell at them like it's given to tip 20%+....

Also, the pinnacle of grossness are these tabs where you clearly see "TIP /10%/20%/x%" which takes rougly 33% of the screen each and somewhere in the corner you see in font size 2 "No Tip". Imho that should be forbidden. Most people in the don't tip because the service was good, but because of "Guilt tipping", - In Europe we call that coercion.

Why don‘t they you just raise the prices by 20% and pay the waiters decent wages...? Why do I have to take the entrepreneurial risk and pay the wages.

 

[Wanted797]

Stories like this remind me how weird the United States is.

 

[PlayUltimate]

Teachers working in non-union private schools are paid much less and have a much more difficult time hiring the exact teachers you are discussing. So yes, collective bargaining is beneficial for the exact reason you claim is a downside.

Teachers in non-union jobs (from my experience they are mostly private or charter) also do not have the same employment requirements. To be a public school teacher, the state sets the requirements; usually a 4-year degree + teaching credential + license + on-going education. I know many private school teachers that got into education without any training in education.

 

[PlayUltimate]

... this becomes a problem when employee's see the imbalance between executive pay and employee pay and it get's even worse when employee's on low wages ask for a pay rise get told the company cannot afford to give it's employee's a pay rise but yet the company makes darn sure the company executives get their pay rises, bonuses and other financial perks. ...

I may not fully agree with unions but I completely agree with this. IMO, in a public company, a CEOs salary should be no more than 20x the salary of the lowest paid employee. In a company where a retail employee earns $30K/year, it could pay the CEO $600K/year. Not sure how to handle deferred compensation such as stock options. (However, CEO compensation is determined by the Board of Directors and shareholders. So not sure how this gets changed)

 

[laptech]

I may not fully agree with unions but I completely agree with this. IMO, in a public company, a CEOs salary should be no more than 20x the salary of the lowest paid employee. In a company where a retail employee earns $30K/year, it could pay the CEO $600K/year. Not sure how to handle deferred compensation such as stock options. (However, CEO compensation is determined by the Board of Directors and shareholders. So not sure how this gets changed)

CEO's of private companies who get paid ten's of millions of $$$ in wages a year are an absolute disgrace in my opinion. Owning shares in the company which gives them their wealth I have no problem with but saying a CEO is worth $5 million a year in wage or $10 million a year in wage or higher is an abomination that should be curtailed. The US president gets a wage of $400,000 a year, the UK Prime minister gets a wage of £167,391 a year ($209,894) and they have responsibilities that dwarf the likes of Apple's Tim Cook or Amazon's Jeff Bezos and many others but yet these CEO's believe their wages should be millions of $$$ and they are not ashamed to accept it.

When a low paid employee looks at the wages of their countries leaders and then they look at the wages of their company CEO and senior executives, you cannot blame the low paid employee for thinking there is something not right here. I wonder if Tim Cook believes his job responsibilities are more important than that of the US president hence why he gets a $3 million wage a year and the US president only gets $400,000 a year.

 

[JoshuaBru]

Good, they should unionize and so should the rest of the Apple stores.

Why? Are employees at certain locations paid differently? Or do some get different benefits than others? Someone explain to me what collective bargaining power will achieve? Seems they’re all standardized as it is, with a benefits package that goes across the board.

 

[JoshuaBru]

When you have CEO's and other senior directors, company presidents and vice presidents being given ever more billions of $$$ in bonuses and other financial perks a year off the backs of their employee's who work minimum wage jobs, this becomes a problem when employee's see the imbalance between executive pay and employee pay and it get's even worse when employee's on low wages ask for a pay rise get told the company cannot afford to give it's employee's a pay rise but yet the company makes darn sure the company executives get their pay rises, bonuses and other financial perks. Then when the employee's complain, their bosses tell them 'tough, if you don't like it, leave'. An employee as an individual has no power at the bargaining table with their bosses BUT unionize and it then becomes a different prospect.

Tim Cook was the one who signed off on the Apple car project, 10 years later and over $10 billion spent the company has nothing tangible to show for it. A huge amount of the car project employee's will lose their jobs, their wages, their company benefits, their health plan but will Tim Cook still get his yearly bonus and other perks because of it, hell yes he will. It is always the lowest paid workers in a company that makes the company profitable but yet a huge percentage of those profits is given to the company hierarchy whilst the low paid employee's are told to suck it up and stop complaining.

Treat employees fairly, if a company is doing well, see to it that the employee's are financially compensated (pay rises). The problem is this rarely happens because the money goes to the company executives and not the employees. Company executives get richer and richer whilst their employee's still struggle on low wages. Unions gives employee's a collective voice which enables them to challenge this financial imbalance between company executives and low paid employee's

Collective bargaining through unionization of workers does nothing to change the way executives are paid. If that’s the goal for unionizing Apple stores I’ve got some bad news for you

 

[hovscorpion12]

Ok, I'll play. Please define "properly paid". Be specific.

Edit: 6 hours in and no one has defined "properly paid" in a specific way yet.

"Proper pay" for Apple store employees are

- $48.08/hour
- 2x overtime pay
- 2-hour lunch breaks
- $2.5M Stock package
- 80% off Apple products [Employee discount]
- Starts at 50% for 1st-year employees
- 20% Tip on purchases

 

[hovscorpion12]

I can't wait to see these employees faces when foot traffic begins to slowly decline over time. Everyone I know prefers to order their Apple predicts online or via the app. They use Apple's built-In AI AR generator to view their products on the desk. [Only exception is the vision pro which requires a store visit.

The only users to need to visit a store are those there to browse around and then leave 5 mins later to order online or need a store appointment for a fix.

I haven't been in an Apple Store in 5-years and have zero reasons to ever visit.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Loving this for them.

All Americans should do something similar.

We’re all in the same boat and need to stand together!

 

[laptech]

Collective bargaining through unionization of workers does nothing to change the way executives are paid. If that’s the goal for unionizing Apple stores I’ve got some bad news for you

You've looked at it the wrong way round. Unionizing is to help employee's get wage increases due to the abomination wages companies pay their CEO's and other senior executives. When company CEO's and other senior executives are still rewarded for their failures but their employees are not, having a union helps gives the employees a voice for the injustices they are given, 'sorry employee, the company performed badly this year so no pay rises but be happy the CEO will still get their pay rise'.

Look at all the lay off's CEO's are making of their employee's but yet they will still get their pay rises and bonuses because the company will not have to pay out on so many wages, health benefits and or perks it gave the employee's thus the CEO will be seen as doing a good job. Layoff's means the company save's money and that is good business hence CEO is rewarded. Is an individual employee going to be able to speak out against such injustice? no but a union can and that is what is important.

 

[boss.king]

I can't wait to see these employees faces when foot traffic begins to slowly decline over time. Everyone I know prefers to order their Apple predicts online or via the app. They use Apple's built-In AI AR generator to view their products on the desk. [Only exception is the vision pro which requires a store visit.

The only users to need to visit a store are those there to browse around and then leave 5 mins later to order online or need a store appointment for a fix.

I haven't been in an Apple Store in 5-years and have zero reasons to ever visit.

I'm not an Apple Store employee (they don't even have Apple Store's where I live) but why exactly can't you wait for this? I presume you're somehow excited at the prospect of people losing their jobs because they did a completely legal and reasonable thing employees are allowed to do. What's the bit that makes this make sense?

 

[GrayFlannel]

no profit without labor!

Without the business idea and plan, formation of the business, organizing the investors to purchase the materials and all the means of production, as well as setting up and maintaining the management and salary structure is within city, county, state, and federal compliance…then there would be no job in need of your labor.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

That's just because unlike in the EU, in the US waiters are actually underpaid to factor in the tip they get from the customers.

And yeah, it's a gross culture. Since as a customer you should know beforehand what you are supposed to pay.

The whole potential haggling situation you face whenever you dine out or just get a cup of coffee is also just a terribly awkward and inefficient dynamic that I’d pay handsomely to avoid altogether.

No business owner should legally be able to advertise their products at one price and then put the burden of bargaining the actual much higher total cost onto the staff and customer.

Just show us the real total, with wages accounted for!

Don’t want to pay “useless”, “dime a dozen”, “no skills” staff a living wage?

Then don’t hire anyone and you do their job.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Good thing they’re not being paid for their diploma, but for the work they do that makes Apple money, more money than Apple pays them.


Paying employees more is an investment too, workers who make more are happier and work harder. It’s a much simpler ROI than autonomous cars.


So it’s wrong for people to want to make more money? People here swoon and wet their pants when Apple’s stock goes up half a point, why is it that Apple the company wants to make more money and that’s good but when the employees of Apple want more money, they’re entitled, or asking too much?

It blows my mind how many people are opposed to workers improving their working conditions. I highly doubt anyone posting here is a billionaire, so we’re all much closer financially to retail workers than we are to CEOs. How does someone else improving their conditions make your life worse that you’re so vehemently against it?

I’m a billionaire. A wealthy industrialist philanthropist and bicyclist. I’d fire every employee shut the store down and build a roller coaster in its place. I set up my silver mine in Peru with free labor.

 

[boss.king]

Without the business idea and plan, formation of the business, organizing the investors to purchase the materials and all the means of production, as well as setting up and maintaining the management and salary structure is within city, county, state, and federal compliance…then there would be no job in need of your labor.

Almost all of the things you listed are in fact also labour.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Stories like this remind me how weird the United States is.

Everyone hating each other 24/7/365 and waiting for any opportunity to throw each other under the bus just to earn another fraction of a cent.

No wonder we stick to our guns so tightly -No civility and respect for one another to work things out with words and ensure each other’s most basic needs are met.

An eye for an eye, until we’re all six feet under.

 

[GrayFlannel]

Almost all of the things you listed are in fact also labour.

Of course it is, but the context of “labor” commonly used and in particularly the quote excludes it. People screaming about “labor” need reminded they don‘t carry the company risk.

 

[hovscorpion12]

I'm not an Apple Store employee (they don't even have Apple Store's where I live) but why exactly can't you wait for this? I presume you're somehow excited at the prospect of people losing their jobs because they did a completely legal and reasonable thing employees are allowed to do. What's the bit that makes this make sense?

The way the future is built is automation and online. That's not something I or anyone can change. Same with generation change. Gen Z/Alpha were born with deliveries and simple click and order [Amazon]. The more these generation takes over, the less and less stores will exist.

Sears and Toys are Us are now 90% online with a handful of stores. Macy's is slowly disappearing from store presence. Lord and Taylors is gone. Nordstrom is decreasing. Microsoft left the store business after 2 years.

Top that off with Mall rent, maintenance, Federals minimum wage changes.

In Massachusetts, There are 8 Apple Stores. South Shore, Cambridge, Burlington, Solomon Pond, Derby Street, Dedham, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Boylston Street, Lynn and Holyoke. In the last 5 years i have already noticed a consistency in the general foot traffic [aside from product launch days] being less and less when I pass by them. This includes weekdays, Weekends, holidays.

I can't speak for the general pay & benefit structure at Apple, but some of these employees believe their jobs will last forever.

People need to accept the fact that certain jobs categories will not last forever and will become extinct based on economic trajectory. It may not tomorrow or next year, but slowly over time. Everything comes to an end.

 

[boss.king]

The way the future is built is automation and online. That's not something I or anyone can change. Same with generation change. Gen Z/Alpha were born with deliveries and simple click and order [Amazon]. The more these generation takes over, the less and less stores will exist.

Sears and Toys are Us are now 90% online with a handful of stores. Macy's is slowly disappearing from store presence. Lord and Taylors is gone. Nordstrom is decreasing. Microsoft left the store business after 2 years.

Top that off with Mall rent, maintenance, Federals minimum wage changes.

In Massachusetts, There are 8 Apple Stores. South Shore, Cambridge, Burlington, Solomon Pond, Derby Street, Dedham, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Boylston Street, Lynn and Holyoke. In the last 5 years i have already noticed a consistency in the general foot traffic [aside from product launch days] being less and less when I pass by them. This includes weekdays, Weekends, holidays.

I can't speak for the general pay & benefit structure at Apple, but some of these employees believe their jobs will last forever.

People need to accept the fact that certain jobs categories will not last forever and will become extinct based on economic trajectory. It may not tomorrow or next year, but slowly over time. Everything comes to an end.

None of that answers the question of why someone would be excited to see people lose their jobs though.

 

[laptech]

I've seen first hand what it is like to work with a company that did not allow unions and who had near total disregard to it's employee's over wages and working practices. It was a Japanese company that had a factory in Europe. It was answerable to the head boss in Japan but had European bosses. The company wanted to compete with other manufacturers so they decided to make the factory a 24/7 factory. They told every employee that the company is moving from it's 9-5 working hours to go on a 3 shift system so they could manufacture 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. They gave you 28 days to make your decision. What they had done is effectively fired everyone and gave them new contracts and said they had 28 days to accept the new contracts and if they did not then they would be effectively resigning themselves from the job. It was a fire and rehire. Every employee had 3 weeks to get used to the new shift working hours and if they couldn't then they would be sacked. Basically it was things such a not being able to wake up in time for work due to body struggling to adapt to change in sleeping patterns, being tired at work and falling asleep due to not being able to adapt to the changes. Those sort of things which would result in the employee being sacked.

Due to no unions being allowed at the company, every employee was functioning as an individual when trying to work out and through this transition of change and they knew if they struggled they would be sacked. Would the company have been able to get away with the same if the employee's had unionized? hell no. Which is many many companies will not allow unions in their company because they know a union can stop/disrupt bad and unscrupulous behavior by the employer.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Unionized stores will be the first ones to be shut or cut back on expansion. There is just way too much precedence.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I was in trade show few years back in a big conference center. We had an extension, the needed to plugged in to wall outlet. Some guy came and removed the plugged in extension from outlet, said it is a unionized worker job. Had to wait 2 hrs for some lazy union worker to show up and plug the chord in. Glad I live in a right to work state.

 

[Supermallet]

You can make it a career all you want to, just know that you're an entry-level shlub and you're going to be paid accordingly. Minimum wage jobs were never intended to be careers. They've always been a stepping stone to more gainful employment elsewhere.

You want to make retail work a career, go for it. Just don't come complaining months/years later that you can't support a family/lifestyle knowing that you're too lazy to better yourself & your situation and demand that others foot the bill for your poor choices.

Those “lazy” workers you deride have to work multiple jobs to earn a living, in more physically and emotionally arduous conditions than the average office worker, who sits at a desk for eight hours and whose biggest challenge is getting through the weekly conference call. You are no better than anyone else, get off your high horse and treat people like the human beings they are.

Ever see American Psycho? It’s about attitudes exactly like yours. Other people are working hard just to get by in a system that wants to ensure things are as hard as possible. Calling people in certain sectors “lazy” for not getting to a white collar job is insidious. Calling people “entitled” for wanting to improve their working conditions is disgusting.

Most companies pay their employees less money than the employees make for them. When companies pay their employees more than the employees make for them, they tend to go out of business extremely quickly.

Yes, it’s a basic fact of capitalism that workers have to be exploited for the system to work. That is why workers should always push for as much as they can get.