Employees at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal store in New York City are organizing a union and asking for a minimum wage of $30 per hour, according to a website for the movement.
The group, whose members call themselves “Fruit Stand Workers United,” wrote it hopes to see wages “built up on a matrix based on role, tenure, and performance.” The employees also seek better benefits, including increased tuition reimbursement, more vacation time and better retirement options.
“Grand Central is an extraordinary store with unique working conditions that make a union necessary to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living in what have proven to be extraordinary times with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation,” the group wrote.
According to the website, the employees voted in February to work with Workers United, the union supporting a similar movement in Starbucks stores nationwide.
If 30% of workers sign cards or a petition saying they want a union, the National Labor Relations Board will conduct an election. If a majority of those choose to unionize, the NLRB will certify the union for collective bargaining, according to the board’s website.
“We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full-time and part-time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants, and many other benefits,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement, CNBC reported.
The Washington Times also reached out to Apple for comment.
Apple’s retail employees currently earn between $17 and $30 an hour, according to The Washington Post.
The tech giant, which had more than $365 billion in sales in 2021, currently has 154,000 employees worldwide and operates 270 U.S. stores, Macrotrends reported, citing financial reports.
• Peter Santo can be reached at psanto@washingtontimes.com.
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