The Washington Post reported on Friday that employees at numerous Apple Inc (AAPL.O) stores in the United States are attempting to form a union, citing people familiar with the activities.
The move comes as unionisation initiatives at major American firms such as Amazon.com Inc and Starbucks Corp gain traction (SBUX.O).
Employee organisations at at least two Apple retail outlets are being backed by big national unions, according to the article, and are planning to file papers with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) soon.
According to the article, at least six additional stores are in the early phases of the unionisation process, with Apple employing over 65,000 retail workers.
According to a regulatory filing, Apple’s retail shops and website accounted for 36 percent of the company’s total $365.82 billion net revenues in fiscal 2021.
Its CEO, Tim Cook, was paid 1,447 times the average employee at the electronics firm last year, thanks to stock awards that helped him earn over $100 million.
During the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, the firm chose to temporarily close multiple locations across the United States.
Bloomberg News reported in September that it planned to pay retail workers a one-time incentive of up to $1,000 last year, despite tight labour market circumstances and employee dissatisfaction.