After nearly two years of contract bargaining, unionized Apple store workers held their first informational picket Tuesday outside of Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City, gathering public support ahead of negotiation sessions with the corporation, reports The Oklahoman.
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.
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.
“We’re going to be at the bargaining table,” Antonio Flores, 33, CWA Local 6016 president, told The Oklahoman. “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
Flores said the negotiated contracts would include written pay scales, vacations and benefits such as health care.
Apple has been accused of fighting unionization efforts in the past. For example, in August 2022 Apple retail employees nationwide were invited to an FAQ-style meeting where store management attempted to answer questions on unionization and create an open environment to discuss unions. The goal, not surprisingly, was to discourage unionization.
And in December 2023, Apple rejected the unionization efforts of its UK-based Apple Southampton location, prompting the staff to push for statutory trade union recognition without Apple’s approval.
However, Apple told Bloomberg that it offers “exceptional” benefits and competitive pay to its employees. From its statement: We have always paid our retail teams in the top tier of the market. And we provide exceptional and comprehensive benefits for all full- and part-time employees as a part of the overall support we provide to our valued team members.
