Deirdre O’Brien, Apple vice president of people and retail, was caught on camera discouraging workers from joining a union. In the internal video, which was leaked to The Verge, O’Brien was heard saying:
“I worry about what it would mean to put another organization in the middle of our relationship. An organization that does not have a deep understanding of Apple or our business. And most importantly one that I do not believe shares our commitment to you.”
Although tech firms are openly anti-union and most of the union formed have come about from strong arming them via protests, lawsuits and more, it still looks bad for Apple. Without a doubt, the VP was saying the company leaders’ thoughts.
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– Barnes & Noble releases budget e-book reader.
Also, Apple itself is in the middle of a union crisis as three of its retail stores are driving for a union of theirs with Maryland and Georgia already getting a date to hold an election that determines their stand.
In the leaked video, Deirdre O’Brien further argued:
“Apple moves incredibly fast. It’s one thing I love about our work in retail. It means that we need to be able to move fast too. And I worry that because the union will bring its own legally mandated rules that would determine how we work through issues it could make it harder for us to act swiftly to address things that you raise.
“I’m committed to and proud of our ability to act fast to support our teams, to support you. But I don’t know that we could have moved as quickly under a collective bargaining agreement, as it could limit our ability to make immediate widespread changes to improve your experience. And I think that’s what really is at stake here.”
Being caught on camera has cleared the difference in stance between regular employees and executives. Since one group is more eager to unionise than another, it may be an indication that life is good for one set of people than the others.
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