Oklahoma City Apple workers latest to seek union

Apple Oklahoma
(Image credit: Apple)

Workers at Apple's Oklahoma City store have this week petitioned to unionize their store, the latest in a string of locations to do so. 

Employees have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board as they seek to join the Communications Workers of America Union. 

As reported by Bloomberg the store is the latest in a line of locations seeking to unionize. 

Petition

Maryland workers successfully voted to form a union in July, and initial petitions have prompted a wave of response from different stores also seeking to unionize. 

"This is a really great time to bring back the labor movement," one employee told the outlet. According to the report "roughly 70%" of employees have signed up. It only requires 30% before the agency can hold an election should the company choose not to recognize the group voluntarily. If a majority is won at said election Apple will be legally required to bargain with the group. 

Apple has not publicly responded to any union activity, instead offering a regular statement that reads:

"We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple. We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full time and part time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits."

While the company has agreed to meet with the Maryland union, elsewhere there are reports of strong union-busting tactics including captive audience meetings and bans on fliers and posters, as well as managers who offer anti-union talking points at stores' daily downloads, a daily meeting held amongst all Apple staff in retail locations. 

As Bloomberg notes the Oklahoma City workers would be the first Apple employees to vote to join the CWA, workers in Maryland are a part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Apple is preparing to unveil its iPhone 14 at an event next week, alongside a new Apple Watch Series 8 and more. 

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9