Apple Retail Chief Dissuades Employees From Unionizing in New Video

As multiple Apple Stores in the United States work toward unionization, Apple’s head of retail Deirdre O’Brien is aiming to thwart employee efforts through an anti-union video that was sent out to retail stores today.

Bloomberg shared details on the video, with O’Brien telling employees that unionization could slow workplace progress and could result in a soured relationship between Apple and its employees.

“It is your right to join a union – and it is equally your right not to join a union,” O’Brien said in the video. She said that employees should “consult a wide range of people and sources” to have a full understanding of what it would mean to “work at Apple under a collective bargaining agreement.”

O’Brien said that union organizations do not have an understanding of how Apple runs and may not be committed to employees as Apple is.

“We have a relationship that is based on an open and collaborative and direct engagement, which I feel could fundamentally change if a store is represented by a union under a collective bargaining agreement,” she said. “And I worry about what it would mean to put another organization in the middle of our relationship. An organization that doesn’t have a deep understanding of Apple or our business, and most importantly, one that I do not believe shares our commitment to you.”

She explained that implementing raises, bonuses, and other new benefits could take longer under a union situation, referencing bonuses that were provided to retail employees during the pandemic. A union would potentially limit Apple’s ability to implement “immediate, widespread changes,” and it could “make it harder for [Apple] to act swiftly to address things” that employees bring up.

Apple retail locations in Washington State, New York City, Maryland, and Atlanta are organizing and taking steps toward unionization. Employees want higher pay, more vacation time, better retirement options, and other benefits.

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