Apple Bethesda, Maryland. (Source: Apple)
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The Communication Workers of America reports that more than 70% of Apple Bethesda retail and repair workers in Maryland have filed for union election with the National Labor Relations Board.
After the Communication Workers of America ( CWA entered into their first collective bargaining agreement with Apple for the Apple Oklahoma City store, and they are now working with Apple Bethesda. According to the CWA, more than 70 percent of the store's 59 workers have signed union authorization cards.
“We are honored to welcome the workers at the Apple store on Bethesda Row in Maryland as members of the CWA,” said Johnny Brown, president of the local CWA Chapter 2108. “More and more workers… are exercising their right to organize, providing greater protection for union members in the technology and video game industries.”
“We have seen Apple choose in the past to undermine its employees’ right to organize,” Brown continued. “We call on Apple to reverse course, live up to its creed, and respect workers’ right to form a union.”
CWA alleges that Apple has partnered with anti-union consultants and “used aggressive, sometimes illegal tactics” to prevent employees from joining unions.
“It has been encouraging to see our colleagues in Oklahoma City and Towson organizing and seeking better working conditions and job protections at the bargaining table,” Peter Cascio, described as an operations specialist at Apple, said in a statement from CWA. “Their efforts have made it clear that a union is not only better for workers, it is better for the company.”
“My colleagues and I at the Bethesda Row Apple store in Maryland care deeply about our jobs and want to ensure we have the transparency, pay, benefits, and job stability we deserve,” he continued.
Additionally, the National Labor Relations Board has previously ruled that Apple must cease and desist from its anti-union practices. In 2022, an anti-union Apple white paper was leaked online after being distributed to retail store managers.
Apple has not commented on the CWA’s announcement about the Bethesda Apple store. However, that same year, Apple’s retail chief, Deirdre O’Brien, denounced all unionization efforts in a video sent to employees.
“I worry about what it would mean if another organization came into our relationship,” she said. “An organization that does not have a deep understanding of Apple or our business, and most importantly, one that I believe does not share our commitment to you.”
The video was shared in May 2022. In November of that year, an Apple retail worker was reported to have said that complaining about conditions was as effective as “writing to Santa.”
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