The UK’s first recognised union for Apple Retail Workers • Organising with @GMB_Union in Apple retail stores across the UK • Think United, Work Different
Now that Apple Glasgow have a signed recognition agreement here are the terms and conditions that they have won as the first unionised store in the UK: 🧵
“Decisions about your pay are already being made by people thousands of miles away.”
To @Apple’s point, we already know what the motives behind decisions are…it’s profit. Your pay is decided with maximum profitability to the company in mind.
Union reps are elected by members and are your colleagues. Union reps in Apple Glasgow are guided by membership and will follow the democratic will of members.
@ARWUnion Myth-Busting:
“You don’t know who your union reps are and what the real motivation of this union is. Why would you trust an external organisation to make decisions about pay on your behalf?”
@AppleUTAW@ARWUnion Towson’s Bargaining committee has a Lead and an Operations Lead on it. Leads are an integral part of the bargaining unit and often the most exploited and over worked members of the team.
Everyone has the right to join a union. Leads, lead geniuses and even managers, senior managers and store leaders if they wanted to. However, in our bargaining unit there is every role up to and including leads.
@ARWUnion Myth-busting:
Senior management are telling Southampton Leads and Lead Genisues that they’re not allowed to join unions, what’s up with that?
The majority of the store is still in membership, many members are approaching the union to raise issues instead of ERT and members are regularly making use of their reps for various personal issues.
Our successful pay negotiations are just one example of the ways in which a union can benefit Apple employees. We have been able to successfully change Apple’s pay model to make it more equitable and less dependent on arbitrary metrics.
This is in line with public sector increases. Apple wanted to offer no increased compensation for some staff and the union has been able to prevent that. Join GMB today! https://t.co/25Bbbvh5Ys
Today Apple Glasgow reached an agreement on pay after negotiations. Members voted to reject Apple’s pay model and have instead won minimum increases and compensation for all members of staff, as well as improved pay for the majority of staff with most receiving 7%.
Solidarity with our colleagues at Apple Southampton! ✊ Unions have so much to offer Apple retail staff. Here at Apple Glasgow we unionised with @GMB_union and are currently negotiating pay for the first time ever in UK retail.
🚨 Staff at Apple Southampton have formally requested management voluntarily recognise our union. UTAW already represents a significant proportion of workers at the retail store, who want better working conditions, job security pay. 🚨
Just 5 days left on Apple Glasgow’s first ever pay survey. This is the first time Apple retail staff in the UK have had any say on how they want pay to be distributed. Get your votes in ASAP.
Amazon workers in Coventry begin another 3 days of strike action. This time last year, union membership stood at less than 30. Today, it stands at more than 800.
https://t.co/91HEj4iEAq
"Jeff Bezos has got more money than he could spend in a hundred lifetimes. He built the company up, but we’ve kept it going."
Read from the @AmazonUK workers themselves about their fight👇👇
https://t.co/cX0mYyO8LK
They also had an opportunity to meet and talk with other workers and organisers in Amazon, Asda and more. Solidarity with all those fighting to #MakeWorkBetter
Last week some of our union reps and members visited @GMB_union national congress #GMB23. They met with GMB secretary @GMBGarySmith GMB president @bplantgmb and vice president Malcolm Sage who congratulated them on the recognition agreement in Apple Glasgow. ✊
From retail workers, to app developers, to TV and film writers, we’re all fed up with Silicon Valley’s #BadApple. @Apple it’s time to come back to the table and bring an end to the #WGAStrike.
Apple employees globally have been asking for ethnicity pay gap reporting which has been continuously voted against by the board and many shareholders! Glad to see this being brought forward at @The_TUC ✊
Proud to move @GMB_union motion on Enshrining Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting into Law at @The_TUC Black Workers’ Conference.
So pleased it passed unanimously- thank you to all the unions across our movement for supporting ✊🏾
#TUCBWC23
Many of our colleagues had never worked in a unionised workplace prior to our recognition campaign. Over the last few months they have been able to see some of the benefits of the protection, security and solidarity that a union offers. ✊
The key to union revival is organising in the private sector. It's why the battle to unionise Amazon, one of the largest private sector employers, matters. @GMB_union, with 700 members at the Coventry site, could be on the brink of historic union recognition. Piece to follow.