Apple workers in Oklahoma are voting at the company’s second U.S. union shop
A shopper looks at a wall full of iPhone cases at the American multinational technology company Apple Store in Hong Kong. China’s consumer prices rose at a slower-than-expected pace in August amid heat waves and a Covid-19 flare-up, while producer inflation slowed to the lowest since February 2021, official data showed.
Budrul Chukrut | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Employees at a apple store in Oklahoma City voted Friday to join a union, marking the second unionized Apple store in the U.S.
The vote is a defeat for Apple, which has opposed unionization around the country. It’s a victory for the Communications Workers of America, which now represents workers at an Apple store after separate union efforts at stores in Georgia and New York City stalled.
The number was 56 votes for and 32 against. About 94 employees were eligible to join the CWA. The vote took place earlier this week.
“Penn Square Apple’s retail workers are a wonderful addition to our growing labor movement, and we are thrilled to welcome them as CWA members,” CWA Treasurer Sara Steffens said in a statement.
“We believe the open, direct and collaborative relationship we have with our valued team members is the best way to provide an excellent experience for our customers, and for our teams,” Apple said in a statement, adding that since 2018, they have increased their starting salaries in the US by 45%.
The National Labor Relations Board will certify the votes in the coming week. After that, Apple is required to negotiate with the union about labor conditions.
Apple has opposed the union, according to a CWA filing earlier this month that claimed Apple management held anti-union meetings and threatened to withhold benefits from stores that are organized.
Apple’s first unionized U.S. store, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Maryland, is preparing to begin formal negotiations with Apple. According to Bloomberg News, Apple told employees there that they would not receive any benefits such as prepayment of tuition or access to online courses, because that would have to be negotiated with the union.
Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world, with over $365 billion in global sales in 2021. It has around 270 stores in the US
