Apple is feeling the warmth from labor activists.
The iPhone maker is rolling out improvements to its retail scheduling policies in an try to placate dissatisfied staff amid a unionization push, Bloomberg reported.
Apple will up the period of time between retail staff’ scheduled shifts to 12 hours from 10 and can allow them to decide on a dedicated weekend time off every six months, based on the outlet.
The Tim Cook-helmed company will even reportedly now not schedule retail staff to work for greater than five days in a row, with possible exceptions for especially busy periods like holidays and latest product launches. Previously, Apple could schedule staff as much as six days in a row.
Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
The news comes as Apple retail employees in Towson, Md., are expected to vote in a union election on June 15. Apple retail staff at Recent York City’s Grand Central Station store and at a location in Kentucky are also pursuing union drives.
Nevertheless, union activists also faced a setback on Tuesday when organizers at a store in Atlanta pulled their plans for a union election, slamming Apple for what they claimed were “repeated violations of the National Labor Relations Act” that “have made a free and fair election unimaginable.”
Apple retail employees in Towson, Maryland are expected to vote in a union election on June 15.REUTERS
Apple has taken several steps this yr to appease disgruntled retail employees amid an ultra-tight labor market.
In May, Apple hiked the minimum hourly pay rate for retail staff to $22 — a ten% increase from the previous yr. And in February, Apple confirmed it could offer more vacation time and sick days for Apple store staff after some grumbled about their advantages.
Apple shares were down 4.3% on Friday amid a broader tech stock slump. The corporate has faced questions on the resilience of its supply chain, which relies heavily on China.
Employees at an Apple factory in Shanghai have rioted over the power’s draconian rules, which include requirements that they work, eat and sleep on site or in nearby “bubbles.”
Apple is about to kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where it traditionally shows off latest software and updated versions of its iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS operating systems.
