by Apple employees at the St. Louis Galleria store were the latest to move toward unionization last month. However, within a week of filing interest with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the group dropped the plan. An initial announcement from the IAM cited “increased hostility” from Apple as the reason for the U-turn, however now Apple employees themselves have spoken about why the majority changed their minds.
As a refresher, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) was chosen as the union to represent the employees of the St. Louis Apple Store. And just over 80 staff members voted on whether to go ahead with the unionization effort beginning in mid-November.
Then, a week later, the IAM issued a message that the offer was withdrawn and that anti-union tactics and increased hostility were factors in the decision.
However, we didn’t hear from any actual Apple employees at the time, only the IAM.
Employees at the St. Louis Apple Store speak
In a press release shared with 9to5Mac More information on the situation is obtained from “most employees of the Saint Louis Galleria Apple Store alone, without input or approval from Apple management, Corporate, PR or Legal.”
The letter says that 66 of Apple’s 83 employees signed to withdraw the effort to unionize because “some no longer felt that the union would provide something complementary to Apple’s culture and existing benefits, while others felt they had been misled into signing.” your cards initially”.
In addition, the letter says that IAM rushed to a vote, “disregarded the wishes of our employee organizers,” and “IAM preemptively withdrew its petition to the NLRB and issued a statement stating that hostility toward employees of Apple management had led to this decision. The reality is much simpler: most employees at this Apple Store do not want to work with IAM.”
Interestingly, IAM is the group that represented the first Apple Store in the US to unionize.
Check out the full press release from Apple Store Galleria staff:
A statement from Apple Store employees about unionization. ________________________________________________________________
• The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) attempted to unionize the location of the St. Louis Galleria Apple Store.
• 79% of workers (66 of 83) voluntarily signed a petition showing overwhelmingly objective evidence that the IAM and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recognize their desire for Early Retirement from the union.
• This decision was made without hostility from store management and without coercion or threat from Apple’s extended leadership.
S T. LOUIS, MO. December 5, 2022 – – On November 16, 2022, the IAM filed a petition with the NLRB to represent employees of the Apple Store at the St. Louis Galleria. An off-site online forum was immediately created, by employees, for employees, independent of both store management and union representatives.
Management encouraged us to do our own research and allowed us the space to do so. They allowed employee discussions to take place throughout the workday, despite the potential disruption to our workflow. The constant message from management was to educate yourself and let your voice be heard, regardless of your position.
In the ad hoc online forum, coworkers shared their feelings and experiences, and compared notes from their independent research. This led to tough but respectful conversations between peers. Bargaining points were debated, but it was a challenge for the team to agree on any that could be positively affected by collective bargaining.
During these conversations, some employees expressed that they wanted to rescind their authorization cards. Some no longer felt the union would provide anything complementary to Apple’s existing culture and benefits, while others felt they had been cheated out of signing their cards initially. The group discussion focused on how individuals might proceed to revoke their support for the union.
On November 21, the organizing committee informed the ad hoc group that they had asked the IAM not to apply the week before, but the union ignored their request for a delay, opting instead to rush the store vote during a very busy holiday season. busy.
With this new information, we determined that if we took on a union as a partner, IAM would not be a good fit for our team. In their rush to represent us, the IAM disregarded the wishes of our organizing employees.
79% of Apple Store Saint Louis Galleria workers, without intimidation from management, signed a petition for Early Withdrawal of union representation and to support colleagues rescinding union authorization signatures.
This petition was sent to the IAM and the NLRB today, December 5th.
After the employees informed the union of our plans, the IAM preemptively withdrew its petition to the NLRB and issued a statement stating that hostility towards employees from Apple management led to this decision.
The reality is much simpler: most of the employees of this Apple Store do not want to work with the IAM.
Our team believes it is important to publicize these facts as to why the union petition has been withdrawn. We’re grateful that Apple allows us the freedom to organize and discuss our options. As a team, we fully recognize that a union can be a necessary and powerful tool for the worker. However, most workers at the Saint Louis Galleria Apple Store do not believe a union is required at this time, nor do they want to work with the IAM in the future.
This statement is issued solely by the majority of Apple Store Saint Louis Galleria employees, without input or approval from Apple management, Corporate, Public Relations or Legal.
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