Labor News & Commentary August 9, 2024 American Apple store workers get their first contract & more

https://onlabor.org/august-9-2024/

By Holt McKeithan

Holt McKeithan is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s News and Commentary, national media explores Tim Walz’s connection with labor, American Apple store workers get their first contract, and tenant organizers launch a national federation.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz is the first union member to appear on a presidential ticket since Ronald Reagan. Steven Greenhouse for Slate explains why the former public school teacher is a good choice for workers. During Walz’s term as governor, Minnesota passed a broad slate of progressive reforms that included expanding parental leave, banning noncompete clauses and prohibiting captive audience meetings. Labor played a role in helping him get the spot on the bottom of the Democratic presidential ticket. The presidents of the American Federation of Teachers and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees both released public statements supporting Walz.

On Tuesday, unionized workers at a Towson, Maryland, Apple store ratified the company’s first labor contract in the United States. The 85 workers, who are affiliated with the Machinists, won an average raise of 10% over the next three years. The contract includes guaranteed severance pay and an increase in benefits to match those Apple withheld from unionized stores to discourage organization in 2022. The contract comes two years after the store first became unionized. Following Towson’s lead, Apple workers in Oklahoma City voted to unionize in 2022. However, campaigns at other stores have failed.

Tenant organizers around the country formed the Tenant Union Federation on Tuesday. TUF, which calls itself a “union of unions”, was formed by five founding unions in Louisville, Kansas City, Montana, Connecticut, and Chicago. Those unions have seen success in their respective cities, including banning new short-term rentals in Bozeman, Montana, negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with a large Connecticut landlord, and winning an anti-displacement ordinance in Chicago. The federation aims to build tenant organizations around the country by training and supporting new groups. It will consider dues-based membership models.