The Apple unionization movement is taking place at a time when union membership is at an all-time low, but public support for unions is at the highest point seen since 1965.
While Apple is fighting hard against Apple Store staff forming and joining unions, a large-scale survey earlier this year suggests that embracing unions could help staff retention …
Apple unionization background
We first learned of retail staff plans to unionize back in February. Things progressed in April, with a formal start to the process at Apple’s flagship Grand Central Terminal store in New York, with a number of goals for a better deal for staff. This was followed by similar moves in Atlanta and Maryland, before expanding internationally to the UK and Australia.
Apple has so far reacted aggressively, hiring the same union-busting lawyers employed by Starbucks. The company is now facing multiple accusations of using illegal union-busting techniques. Employment experts have warned that these techniques can work, but may have long-lasting negative consequences.
Daring Fireball drew my attention to the data.
Record-low union membership
Reliable data doesn’t go back further than 1983, but the union membership trend since then has been steadily downward, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Its figures show that the number of workers who belong to unions fell last year to 14M, or 10.3% of the workforce. This compares to a rate of more than 20% in 1983, with a steady downward trend since then.
When you filter the data for private-sector employees, then the percentage is even lower, at just 6.1%.
The data shows that union members earn more than non-union members, though the BLS does caution that the numbers can be influenced by outside factors, like variations in the geographic distribution of members.
Among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $1,169 in 2021, while those who were not union members had median weekly earnings of $975.
Highest public support for unions since 1965
A large-scale Gallup poll in the summer showed that public support for unions is at its highest level since 1965, and just one point below the level in 1936, when the first collected the data.
Seventy-one percent of Americans now approve of labor unions. Although statistically similar to last year’s 68%, it is up from 64% before the pandemic and is the highest Gallup has recorded on this measure since 1965.
Support in 1936 was 72%, and the all-time high in the 1950s was 75%.
The most common reason for union membership was to get better pay and benefits, followed by other employee rights. Employers are more likely to retain union members, with 43% seeking employment elsewhere, compared to 50% of non-members.
Apple unionization battle continues
There’s no let-up in Apple’s aggressive fight against the unionization of its retail employees. Earlier this month, the company announced improvements to education and healthcare benefits, but excluded unionized employees. This is the same union-busting technique used by Starbucks.
The unionization movement continues to make slow progress, with Oklahoma the second US Apple Store to unionize, while Australian workers planned strike action.
We’d continue to urge a cooperative approach between Apple and its retail staff.
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