Apple Store workers hold informational picket
Seeking better benefits
After nearly two years of contract bargaining, unionized Apple store workers held its first informational picket Tuesday outside of Penn Square Mall, gathering public support ahead of negotiation sessions with the corporation.
Local employees are demanding better pay and benefits, especially for bilingual workers.
Dressed in red shirts to show unity, several Apple store employees represented by Apple Retail Union-Communication Workers of America and union workers gathered at the corner of N Pennsylvania and Northwest Expressway, holding signs that read “Apple’s Annual Revenue: $383.29, WORKERS DESERVE MORE!” The posters described the difference between corporate earnings and employer salaries.
“Let’s talk,” read a sign with the CWA logo, a network of national worker-organizers representing tech, media, telecom and other industry workers.
The informational picket, organized by CWA Local 6016, precedes bargaining sessions between the Apple Retail Union-CWA and legal representatives of Apple, which will take place Sept. 4-6. If successful, the Oklahoma City store would become the second group of workers to be covered by a collectively bargained contract. The first successful collectively bargained contract finalized in July for an Apple store in Towson, Maryland, was represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
“We’re going to be at the bargaining table,” said Antonio Flores, 33, CWA Local 6016 president. “Basically, we’re just trying to push the company to give [employees] the best contract we can. Two years, I feel is completely ridiculous. It shouldn’t take two years to negotiate a contract. Apple has been union-busting since the beginning.”
Flores said the negotiated contracts would include written pay scales, vacations and benefits such as health care.
“A lot of what we’re bargaining for are economics, especially bilingual pay,” said Apple Genius admin Michael Forsythe, 36. “Living in Oklahoma, there’s a very large Spanish-speaking population. It is very common to have people come in that don’t speak English or have somebody translate for them. Many times it’s like children who are 9 or 10 years old. And it’s very difficult to explain the concepts to a child or someone who is not familiar with it. So, what happens in a lot of cases, we have to pull someone who speaks Spanish from our store and that takes away from their other duties, and these things that they are being pulled away from affects their raises.”
Forsythe’s coworker, Kirsten Maton, 31, said bilingual workers aren’t getting paid for their skills. Other than pay, she added that inconsistent scheduling makes it difficult to establish a work-life balance. The Apple store technical expert said a lack of communication led workers to unionize for better representation.
“I think with specifics, we’re leaving that at the bargaining table with Apple,” said Maton, who has worked for the store for six years. “We’re just trying to protect our employees.
The negotiations at the local store have been ongoing since October 2022 when the union formed. Since then, Apple Retail Union-CWA has faced recurrent anti-union attacks and violations. The union stated in a news release that the corporation was engaged in ongoing stalls and delays in bargaining. Workers at the local store authorized a strike if fair contracts aren’t reached.
Apple Inc., represented by San Francisco attorney Laura A. Pierson-Scheinberg Jackson-Lewis, could not be reached for comment.
“I think we know what Apple is capable of in terms of offering their employees,” said Maton. “We hope they come to the table to bargain in good faith.”
CWA said the company stated it would end bargaining negotiations in September. However, most collective bargaining agreements last an average of three years before agreements are reached. The union will continue to represent Apple store workers until decisions are reached.
Apple’s legal representatives could not be reached for comment.