Maryland Apple workers face hurdles after vote to unionize

TOWSON, Md. –

The historic vote of employees in Maryland Apple stores to unionize — a first ever for the technology giant — is an important step in a lengthy process labour experts say is heavily biased in favor of workers.

A group of Apple store employees from Baltimore voted to unionize Saturday by nearly 2-to-1 margin. This is part of a growing trend in the U.S. tech, retail, and service industries to organize for better workplace protections.

It is unclear if the recent wave in unionizations represents a larger shift in U.S. labour. Experts believe that the current shortage of workers for low-wage and hourly jobs means that employees have more power today than they did in the past, especially with low unemployment.

“It’s not a big deal to lose one these jobs because you can get another crummy position.” saidRuth Milkman, labor scholar at the City University of New York.

The question is: What happens now?

Towson’s Apple retail workers voted 65 to 33 to apply for membership in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. said. The National Labor Relations Board must now certify the outcome. A spokesperson for the board directed initial questions regarding the vote to the regional office, which closed late Saturday. An Associated Press message was not returned by the board on Sunday.

After the vote is certified, Apple can begin to negotiate a contract.

“Labour law in America is a lengthy process. The fact that a single store votes for or negotiates with a union does NOT mean that there is a negotiated workplace contract. “We know from history that parties are often unable agree to terms in many of these situations,” Michael Duff (an ex-NLRB lawyer and professor at University of Wyoming College of Law), said. said Sunday.

The United States has many rights for employers to withdraw recognition at the conclusion of the process. Duff said that the employer can show that it does not support a majority of employees in the bargaining group.

A company still has legal options to fight a union after it is approved, Duff said. Apple could, for example, say that it doesn’t believe the NLRB-certified bargaining unit is an appropriate bargaining entity. refuse to bargain avec the union.

Duff explained that “if that happens, then the whole thing goes before the courts and it could easily take a year to even get the question whether the employer is required bargain with the Union.”

Experts in Labour say it is not uncommon for employers to delay the bargaining process in order to take momentum out of union campaigns. Apple or any other company could also restructure their business so that unionized workers become independent contractors and employees. In such cases, Duff says, the union vote is moot. said.

Josh Lipton, a company spokesperson, said that Apple declined comment on Saturday’s development. Josh Lipton spoke to The Associated Press via phone. Apple was not available for comment when we reached them again Sunday.

The success of the vote will inspire workers across the country to organize. saidJohn Logan, director of labour-employment studies at San Francisco State University.

He said, “Workers are organizing at other Apple stores already, but this shows them that the company’s not invincible.” said.

Apple’s well-known brand is also likely to assist.

Logan said that “the public has a very intimate relationship with companies such as Apple. So the first union victory is bound to generate tremendous traditional media and digital coverage.” said. “Young workers learn union activism from this coverage, and some will likely feel inspired to organize their workplaces.”

Duff believes that US labour law is unfairly applied to workers. saidHe believes that there will be a rewakened labour movement in America in this manner.

After decades of decline in U.S. union membership, the movement for union organizing has gained momentum in a variety fields. Organizers worked with companies such as Amazon, Starbucks and REI to create unions.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Apple employees who wished to join saidThey sent Tim Cook, Apple CEO notice last month indicating that they wanted to form a union. The statement saidTheir driving motivation was to get “rights that we do not currently possess.” It stated that the workers were organized in the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees or CORE.

Robert Martinez Jr., President of IAM International, praised the courage shown by CORE members at Towson’s Apple store for achieving this historic victory. saidThe statement. “They made a huge sacrifice to support thousands of Apple employees across America who were watching this election closely.”

Martinez urged Apple to respect the election results, and to allow the unionizing employees to accelerate efforts to secure a contract at Towson.

The IAM is a large and diverse industrial trade union that represents approximately 600,000. It has members from all industries, including aerospace, defense, rail, transit, healthcare, and other. Logan saidApple’s victory is a clear sign that the established labour movement can adapt to the needs and wants of the independent-minded, self-confident workers found at Apple stores.

The vote for unionization in Apple stores is set against a backdrop that includes other labour organizing efforts throughout the country, some of which have been rebuffed.

Amazon warehouse workers in New York City voted to unionize last April. This was the first successful U.S. organizing effort of its kind in the history of the retail giant. However, workers at another Amazon warehouse in Staten Island rejected a union offer last month. After two stores in Buffalo, New York, which voted to unionize last year, Starbucks workers in dozens of U.S. shops have voted to unionize in recent weeks.

Many unionization efforts have been led in part by young workers, many of whom are in their 20s or early twenties. The Alphabet Workers Union was formed last year by a group of Google engineers, and other workers. It represents around 800 Google employees. It is currently managed by five people younger than 35.

“This generation has a different world view than many generations before,” said CUNY’s Milkman. “They believe that this is possible.”