Apple VP discourages retail workers from joining a union in leaked video

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In an internal video leaked to The Verge, Apple vice president of people and retail Deirdre O Brien explicitly discourages employees from joining a union. I don't believe that one shares our commitment to you.

This message comes amid union drives at three of Apple's retail stores, one in New York, one in Maryland and one in Georgia. They agreed to hold elections with Apple. Workers at the Cumberland Mall Apple store will vote on whether to unionize on June 2nd, and employees at the Towson Town Center store will vote on June 15th.

She said that a union would slow the company's ability to respond to employee concerns. We need to be able to move fast as well. I worry that the union's own legally mandated rules could make it harder for us to act quickly on issues that you raise. I'm proud that we can act fast to support our teams. I don't know if we could have moved as quickly under a collective bargaining agreement, as it could limit our ability to make immediate changes to improve your experience. I think that's what's at stake.

Apple retail workers are organizing around pay. According to the Economic Policy Institute, unionized workers in the United States make more than their non-unionized peers.

The executive has been visiting Apple retail stores in person over the past few weeks, a move that many employees say seems designed to appease workers who are trying to organize.

Apple has shown that it isn't keen on its employees organizing, that it has hired anti-union lawye rs, and that it held captive audience meetings. O'Brien said in the video that Apple told its workers that unions don't understand its culture. The existing union drives are led by a coalition of Apple workers who have critiqued Apple management. The efforts are led by Apple workers.

The company has been accused of union busting in other ways, including preventing employees from posting pro-union posters and interrogating employees about union activity.

The company's executives haven't come out with an anti-union stance until now. While Apple's actions have been clear, its words have been relatively silent apart from individual store leads holding meetings. Its message is clear and straight from the top.