CWA/Apple Retail Bargaining Report #23 Penn Square Location, Oklahoma City, OK

Union Family, 

The CWA/Apple Bargaining team met today in day one of our two day session for May. The morning started with the Union passing counter proposals for vacation & holidays. We explained that the workers are not happy with the current process in place, and believe our proposals would give more flexibility to employees by getting their time at the beginning of the calendar year based on seniority so vacations could be planned accordingly. We also provided a spreadsheet showing the amount of days is pretty close based on tenure with what’s in place now with Apple, and our proposal of receiving it at the beginning of the year. The Company asked for a caucus to discuss it. 

While the Company had us in a caucus meeting, we worked on our counter wage proposal that would give a true general wage increase each year of the contract versus being based purely on performance. We did include an additional piece that would also give a performance bonus in addition to a GWI each year. We bargained in good faith by taking a piece of our GWI and also including their performance asks additionally. 

After three hours plus the lunch break, the Company was finally ready to meet again this afternoon. They countered with exactly the same vacation and holiday policies that are in place currently. The Committee was very upset and displayed this with our discussion with the Company at the table. We strongly believe what their attempting to do is surface bargaining and are speaking with our counsel this evening regarding this. We did pass the wage proposal in which our Chair made sure they understood we were bargaining in good faith by incorporating a piece of their proposal into our wage proposal. They said they would discuss it and left the room again in a separate caucus. 

After about another hour in separate rooms, they asked to have a sidebar conversation with the Chair which is off the record. However, we can say the Chair made sure the Company understood the top three issues are scheduling, vacation, and wages. These are all three mandatory subjects of bargaining and we are way off.

In closing, the Company has suggested that we bring in a Federal Mediator, as we are far apart from these three key items. Of course we are far apart when you counter with your current policy that isn’t working. Tomorrow we will meet for day two of this month's session and look to TA some of the other outstanding proposals still lingering that we are close on. An additional report will follow tomorrow night.

In Unity and Solidarity,

CWA/Apple Bargaining Team
Kirsten Matson, Technical Expert
Kevin Romo Velasco, Specialist
Darren Griffis, Business Expert
Michael Forsythe, Genius Admin
Jay Albertson, President Emeritus CWA 6016
Jose Lozano, CWA District 6 Staff Representative
Billy Moffett, CWA District 6 Assistant to the Vice-President

BM/ss
opeiu#13