Apple store employees in the US seek unionization

Employees at many Apple stores across the United States are organizing to unionize, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the initiative.

The move comes against a backdrop of unionization efforts gaining momentum at major US companies such as Amazon.com and Starbucks.

The report said employee groups at at least two Apple retail stores are supported by major national unions and are preparing to submit documents to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in the near future.

At least six other stores are at less advanced stages of the unionization process, according to the report, which adds that Apple employs more than 65,000 retail workers.

Apple and the NLRB did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Apple has 270 stores in the United States and realized 36% of its total net sales of $365.82 billion in fiscal 2021 through its flagship stores and its website, according to a filing. regulatory.

The tech giant’s chief executive, Tim Cook, last year received total payouts of nearly $100 million, fattened up by stock awards — that is, the equivalent of 1,447 times the average salary of his employees.

The company had decided to temporarily close several sales channels across the country during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year, it intended to give store employees a one-time bonus of up to $1,000, Bloomberg News reported in September, amid harsh working conditions and unrest among employees.