Apple employees across the country are trying to unionize behind the scene as hourly workers express their needs, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Two stores are close to filling out paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board. Six more locations are at a less advanced stage in the process. Currently, the tech company has more than 270 locations in the U.S. and more than 500 worldwide, according to CNET.
- Employees earn between $17 to $30 per hour, depending on their market and position, along with $1,000 to $2,000 in stock. But these wages haven’t kept up with inflation.
- Apple and NLRB did not respond to requests for comment, per the Post. Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook received a $99 million compensation package.
“I have a lot of co-workers and friends who I genuinely love and they do not make enough to get by,” said one labor organizer who works at an Apple retail store. “They’re struggling and they’re hurting and we work for a company that has the resources to make sure that they’re taken care of.”
According to Reuters, this movement comes as unionization efforts gain momentum in the U.S., spreading to corporations like Starbucks and Amazon.
Amazon workers are voting in union elections in Alabama and New York, as decisions are expected in March, although no Amazon warehouses are currently unionized.