Beware the iPhone: Apple workers plan secret union movement with help from Android smartphones

There seems to be an employee-related storm brewing for Cupertino as The Washington Post has published a report about Apple store workers coming together in a secret union movement. Apparently, people familiar with the matter have told the media outlet that some disgruntled Apple employees believe they deserve a higher pay rate from their employer, especially as Apple is now valued at over US$3 trillion. According to the report, store workers can earn US$17-30 an hour and more, dependent on position and market, and they receive Apple stock.

Perhaps worryingly, these pro-union Apple workers have purportedly resorted to relying on either encrypted message services or Android smartphones for communication, as there is a concern that there might be some surveillance involved if an Apple product, such as the iPhone 13, is used to make these sensitive union-related arrangements. The Washington Post states:

To avoid detection by managers at the stores, employees have been meeting in secret and communicating with encrypted messaging, sometimes using Android phones, the competitor to Apple’s iOS operating system, to avoid any possible snooping by Apple.

It has actually got to the point that workers in two Apple stores in the US are preparing to file papers with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which supervises the elections of union representatives and enforces law relating to unfair labor practice (ULB). As for iPhone owners who might be concerned that Apple is spying on them, there is no specific accusation made that this is actually occurring, although there is an allegation made by store workers that “managers try to eavesdrop on employees”.

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