In A First, Workers at an Apple store in Atlanta File For A Union Election

Workers at an Apple store in Atlanta filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, becoming the first to do so at any of the Silicon Valley giant’s 272 retail locations across the United States.

Bloomberg Law reported that 70% of workers at an Apple store in Cumberland Mall in northwest Atlanta signed cards authorizing the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which is spearheading a broader effort to organize tech employees, to hold an election—far exceeding the 30% threshold needed to qualify. If a majority of the workers vote to unionize, the nation’s first collective bargaining unit at Apple would have 107 members and be called Apple Workers Union.

In recent weeks, employees at some of the nation’s most powerful corporations—which have enjoyed record-breaking profits while workers get hammered by the Covid-19 pandemic and price gouging—have scored major victories, boosting public support for organized labor along the way.

Workers at Starbucks, for instance, have unionized dozens of coffee shops throughout the U.S. in a matter of months. Meanwhile, Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island voted earlier this month to form the first union at the e-commerce giant on U.S. soil. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said last week that the historic win has the potential to spur “a national, sweeping movement.”

The move by workers at the Atlanta store “coincides with a wave of burgeoning and growing union drives at Apple stores at least half a dozen Apple store locations,” Motherboard reported.

“A number of us have been here for many years, and we don’t think you stick at a place unless you love it,” Bowles said in a statement. “Apple is a profoundly positive place to work, but we know that the company can better live up to their ideals and so we’re excited to be joining together with our coworkers to bring Apple to the negotiating table and make this an even better place to work.”

As The Washington Post reported earlier this year, “Apple has seen astonishing revenue growth in recent years, bringing in $378 billion in the last calendar year, compared with $240 billion in 2017. Its astronomical cash flow has allowed the company to spend tens of billions a year in stock buybacks and dividends for investors, buoying its share price.” The frontline workers who sell and repair iPhones, MacBook, and iPads, however, told the newspaper “they haven’t shared in the company’s gains”. On the other hand, Apple CEO Tim Cook took home $98.7 million last year—a 569% increase from 2020.

The Atlanta organizing committee hopes to inspire other Apple workers to pursue unionization, much as the initial triumph of Buffalo Starbucks workers in December led to mounting victories for employees of the company.

“Somebody has got to be the first to do something,” said Bowles. “Being first doesn’t matter to us—doing it is what matters to us. And if we have to be first, we will be first.”

Originally published at Commondreams.org, written by Kenny Stancil.