Apple employees at the Apple Store in Short Hills, New Jersey have petitioned to unionize, reports Bloomberg. Retail store unionization efforts have died down in recent months after locations in Oklahoma and Maryland successfully unionized in 2022.
There are 104 workers at Apple Short Hills, which is located in the Short Hills Mall. Communication Workers of America (CWA) filed a unionization petition with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of employees earlier this week.
In a statement, the CWA said that forming a union would be the best way to "ensure all Apple workers receive the respect, pay, benefits and working conditions" that they deserve. The group has requested that Apple "not to interfere in our ongoing organizing efforts and, instead, allow workers to freely determine for themselves whether to form a union."
Apple told Bloomberg that it offers "exceptional" benefits and competitive pay to its employees.
We have always paid our retail teams in the top tier of the market. And we provide exceptional and comprehensive benefits for all full- and part-time employees as a part of the overall support we provide to our valued team members.
Following the petition, workers at the store will need to vote on whether to join the union. If a majority decide to do so, the store will unionize. Union employees are able to negotiate with Apple for improved working conditions and benefits. In Maryland, workers have been working to negotiate with Apple for a 10 percent pay increase, tips from customers, and changes to overtime and leave policies.
While two stores have unionized, unionization efforts have failed in other locations. An Apple retail location in St. Louis voted not to unionize, and a store in Atlanta withdrew its request to unionize after alleged interference from Apple. The U.S. National Labor Relations Board said in December 2022 that Apple had violated federal law by holding mandatory anti-union meetings and coercing and interrogating the Atlanta workers.
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