Apple faces union challenge amid Amazon’s warehouse success
Following Amazon’s lead, workers at Apple’s Grand Central Station store in New York are gearing up to unionise.
The group of staff known as Fruit Stand Workers United must gain the signatures and support of 30 per cent of its store staff to qualify for a union election.
In a statement on their site, it said: “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.
The key demands made by the group include a $30 (£23) minimum hourly wage, as well as more holiday time.
The news comes as the tech giant faces issues this side of the Atlantic, with the UK Data Protection Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) looking into a whistleblower complaint.
Former Apple engineer Ashley Gjøvik called her life a “goddamn nightmare” in an interview with the Sunday Times this weekend after she accused the firm of violating workers’ privacy by gaining access to information via their mobile phones.
Gjøvik was subsequently fired from the company last year for breaking rules about leaking information to the public and has spoken out a number of times against the firm.
Meanwhile, fellow tech behemoth Amazon is also facing union challenge, with warehouse workers in New York winning a union election earlier this month.