Apple (AAPL) – Get the Apple Inc. report. is accustomed to laurels.
His sense of innovation is most often praised. And when we’re not bragging about the new features of the new iPhone, we’re excited about the breakthrough Apple Watch.
And often when there’s a crack in that armor at nearly $2.73 trillion in market capitalization, it doesn’t last long. We saw him again recently with the negative headlines about his new safety guide, specifically AirTags.
Although Apple’s tracking product was designed to help find frequently lost items, many reported that it was planted in coats and purses to track down women as well as cars that would later end up being stolen. The cheap price ($29.99 for one and $99 for a four-pack) also makes it an easy thing for those with bad intentions to buy and then get rid of.
The outrage didn’t last long and calm returned to Cupertino, at the company’s California headquarters. But this calm could this time be short-lived. Workers at at least eight physical Apple Stores must apply to form a union. This activism shows that Apple is unlikely to escape the union demands seen at several large companies across the country in recent months.
Some Apple workers want to form a union
Groups of at least two Apple retail stores are backed by major national unions and are preparing to file documents with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in the near future, The Washington Post reports, citing unnamed sources.
Stimulated by wages that have stagnated below the rate of inflation and emboldened by the successful efforts of Starbucks (SBUX) – Get the Starbucks Corporation report employees to form unions, retail workers hope they can push the world’s most valuable company to share more of its record profits with the workers who sell, repair and troubleshoot the products it sells.
According to the workers, Apple retail employees can earn anywhere from $17 to more than $30 an hour, depending on the position and market, and receive between $1,000 and about $2,000 in stock.
Apple announced at the end of January that it had generated record sales for the quarter ended December 25 at $123.9 billion, up 11% year-on-year. Net profit was $34.6 billion. Apple had also decided to pamper its shareholders by announcing a share buyback plan for 27 billion dollars.
“These record operating results enabled us to return nearly $27 billion to our shareholders during the quarter, while maintaining our goal of achieving a net cash neutral position over time,” said the director. financier Luca Maestri. said in the press release.
The social climate seems to be getting more and more tense at Apple. Last August, a group emerged Apple Together claiming to represent more than 100,000 workers. He sent a letter to Cook asking for improved working conditions for employees and for the company’s senior executives to be held accountable for their actions deemed controversial.
“Apple celebrates its footprint of more than 2.4 million workers. This is us: including more than 100,000 direct employees in the United States working under 22 executives,” wrote Apple Together. “It’s time to think fair at Apple, together.”
Apple workers want better working conditions
The group reiterated the same speech in a letter addressed to Cook and the entire management team.
“Hundreds of us have documented our stories of abuse, discrimination, and harassment. Hundreds of us have documented reporting our stories through internal channels and receiving no relief,” he wrote. “At Apple, we are called to do the right thing, and that must extend to how we treat employees. We are reaching out as Apple must deliver on its promise of inclusion, diversity and equity. We demand an environment where everyone feels safe and welcome and has the promise of equal opportunity and treatment.”
On December 23, Apple Together asked employees to make their dissatisfaction known by going on strike on December 24, Christmas Eve.
“Calling all Apple employees and customers! Tomorrow, December 24, 2021, Apple employees are holding a walkout/call to demand better working conditions,” he tweeted.
Contacted by TheStreet, Apple did not respond.
Coincidence or not, the manufacturer of AirPods and Mac has made a few gestures towards its employees in recent weeks. But it seems that is not enough.
Tim Cook’s Cupertino, Calif. group, which operates 270 brick-and-mortar stores in the United States, will increase benefits for all employees at those stores, both part-time and full-time, Bloomberg reported in early February. citing anonymous sources.
Apple will double paid sick leave for part-time and full-time employees. Employees will now be able to use them for mental health reasons or to take family members to the doctor. In total, these changes will give 12 paid sick days to full-time employees, for example.
Apple is not known for having social tensions, unlike Amazon (AMZN) – Get the report from Amazon.com, Inc.for example, who had to fight last spring to avoid the formation of unions in certain warehouses.
Apple finds itself in a strangely unusual situation. It is difficult to say whether the company will choose a showdown with these employees or will try to find common ground with them.
This potential social conflict is accentuated when Institutional Shareholder Services, a shareholder advisory group, urges investors to vote against Apple CEO Tim Cook’s $99 million compensation and bonus package.
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