Some Apple Store employees based in the United States are now working to unionize themselves. The reason being inferred is that the wages are not keeping up with the growing inflation in the country, as reported by The Washington Post.
Major national unions support at least two groups at Apple retail stores. They plan to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) shortly. Another six locations are in their initial stages of the unionization process.
Apple’s retail employees in the U.S. receive wages starting from $17 per hour, increasing to more than $30 per hour. The Cupertino-based giant has more than 500 brick-and-mortar stores worldwide, and 270 are in the United States. The sales on Apple’s website and retail stores account for 36% of its revenue last fiscal year.
“I have a lot of co-workers and friends who I genuinely love, and they do not make enough to get by. They’re struggling, and they’re hurting, and we work for a company that has the resources to make sure that they’re taken care of.” said a labor organizer who is an Apple Retail Employee.
Last week, a report from Bloomberg informed that Apple is increasing the pay of its Apple Store employees working in the U.S. up to 10% to cope with the labor market and inflation. Only those employees were eligible for the raise who were working for Apple before the start of the pandemic in 2020.
In other news, the Cupertino-based giant has been opening brand new stores all across the world such as the upcoming Al Marayah Island store in Abu Dhabi, The Grove in Los Angeles, as well as BaÄŸdat Caddesi in Istanbul. Finally, in November 2021, Apple started hiring for its first Apple Store in India.
