Workers at St. Louis Galleria file to unionize

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers filed the petition on Wednesday to represent the workers. Their main concerns were wages, short-staffing and pressure to achieve sales metrics.

“As an employee of Apple for over five years, I have unfortunately had to watch as the culture of this company has shifted from truly embodying a people-first mentality,” Galleria worker Daniel Bertilson said in a union release. “I look forward to voting yes on my ballot.”

The St. Louis workers are joining a wave of unionization efforts that, amid a historically tight labor market, has gained traction nationwide even against corporate behemoths like Starbucks and Amazon. Workers at a single Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, voted not a year ago to unionize. And now employees at 258 Starbucks locations are represented by the Starbucks Workers United. Five of the St. Louis locations have voted to unionize since June.

Attempts to bring a union to Amazon warehouses have been well publicized but less successful. Citing an injury rate higher than its competitors, an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, voted in April to be represented by the fledgling Amazon Labor Union. But that location is the only one so far to vote in favor of a union. Two others have voted against joining since then. One warehouse in Albany, New York, voted by a 2-1 margin against it.

Some workers are trying to collectively bargain without a union. Employees at the Amazon warehouse in St. Peters have not filed for a union election, but in September they petitioned management for higher wages and better working conditions.

But Apple retail shops are a newer frontier: Apple store workers in Towson, Maryland, became the first to unionize in June, also under the Machinists and Aerospace Workers, whose membership today extends into other industries.

In October, workers at an Apple store in Oklahoma City voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America. The CWA had also filed for a union election for an Apple store in Atlanta, but withdrew the petition in May, according to Reuters.

The St. Louis Galleria Apple store employs about 80 people. The National Labor Relations Board requires 30% of the potential bargaining unit to sign a petition in order to file for an election, though some unions require a higher threshold.

Bertilson, the store employee, said the company’s metrics can make workers feel like they have to be “pushy” with customers.

“It can feel that we are invited, at times, to put pressure on customers to obtain products or services that they may not want,” Bertilson said.

Bertilson, 27, of St. Louis, has worked at the Galleria Apple store for four years as a product zone specialist, and worked at a store in the Nashville area for one year before that.

“We are just looking forward to the opportunity to partner with Apple,” Bertilson said, “to create an environment where we feel like we, as employees, can flourish while creating lasting and positive experiences for our customers.”

In May, Apple raised starting pay for hourly workers to $22 an hour, according to news reports.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers also filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company on Wednesday, alleging that Apple held a so-called “captive audience” meeting on Monday in which management said it would be futile to organize, and implied that benefits would improve if workers chose not to.

Billy Anderson, grand lodge representative in the IAM’s organizing department, said the union, the labor board and the company will work together to set a date for workers to vote.

An Apple spokesperson said the company offers strong compensation and exceptional benefits, and has an “open, direct and collaborative” relationship with employees.