The union representing Apple store workers at the company’s Glasgow outfit in Scotland have voted to reject Apple’s pay model, and say they have scored a pretty major pay victory for all of its staff.
The Apple Retail Workers Union announced this week that, following negotiations, Apple store workers at the Glasgow store “voted to reject Apple’s pay model and have instead won minimum increases and compensation for all members of staff, as well as improved pay for the majority of staff.” The union says the deal is worth a 7% increase for most workers, and in line with UK public sector increases.
According to the the union, Apple “wanted to offer no increased compensation for some staff and the union has been able to prevent that.”
A major victory
The news marks one of the first major changes secured by a union against Apple since a wave of unionization gripped stores. According to previous reports, Apple has tried to resist the union movement and was even ordered by a National Labor Relations Board judge to stop “interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees" who are trying to form unions.
In a statement previously, Apple has issued a fairly generic response to union movement stating "We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple. 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."
The Apple Glasgow store signed a recognition agreement with workers in February. As is often the case with retail unions, pay was a headline issue, and the union claimed it would have the ability to collectively bargain over how pay is distributed. Reps would also be given access to how pay is calculated, as well as consultation on store policy regarding hours, scheduling, and holidays.
