Apple workers at NYC store seek to form labor union
An Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal in New York City in 2019. (File Photo via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - Employees at an Apple Inc. store in New York City appear to be seeking to form a union.
A group calling itself Fruit Stand Workers United is taking steps to organize workers at Apple's retail store in Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. The group has partnered with the union Workers United, an SEIU affiliate that represents employees of retail, food service, manufacturing, and other industries.
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Fruit Stand Workers United, or FSWU, said on its website that the Grand Central location is an "extraordinary store with unique working conditions that make a union necessary."
"A Union at Grand Central will provide job security through a negotiated 'for cause' provision; it will provide additional resources to all workers such as mortgage financing," FSWU said on its website, "but most of all, it will fulfill three pillars we always sought during this movement: better pay for all covered workers, more robust benefits, and a thorough analysis of our work conditions, mainly relating to health and safety."
FSWU said it will seek a minimum hourly wage of $30 for all workers and "more robust changes" to benefits, such as higher tuition reimbursement, more vacation time, higher 401(k) matching, and pension plan enrollment.
"For health and safety, we look to conduct research into security protocols with customer interactions, and research into track dust, health effects from building materials, and noise pollution at Grand Central," FSWU said.
Apple has not yet responded to an email from FOX 5 NY seeking comment.
In recent months, workers at some corporate giants in New York have sought to organize. In December, employees of a Starbucks in Buffalo voted to form the first U.S.-based union at the coffee retailer. And on April 1, workers at an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island won a vote to form a union.
This story will be updated if Apple Inc. responds with a comment.