Similar initiative in Apple San Francisco (archives)
Photo: Tomer Barzide
New iDigital application: Labor union
Calcalist learns workers of Apple franchisee in Israel seek to form union; to demand subsistence allowance, kitchenettes and bonuses
Retail workers of iDigital, the Apple franchisee in Israel,
seek to organize a labor union which will unionize employees of all the company's four Apple stores in the country.
Sources within the company say the effort is insubstantial and encompasses a handful of employees out of iDigital's 140 workers.
Calcalist has learned that the organizers are collecting signatures in a bid to organize at least one third of the company's employees – the portion needed to obligate management to negotiate with workers. The union organizers declined a response on the matter.
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According to the sources, the workers are demanding a NIS 300 ($87) salary increment for food allowance, kitchenettes for workers and bonuses.
iDigital opened its first store in Israel in 2008, and currently the chain includes four stores among them Ramat Aviv mall and Diziegoff Center mall – both in Tel Aviv, the G shopping center in Rishon Lezion and the Grand Canyon mall in Haifa.
iDigital said in response, "We know of no such unionization efforts. The workers love working for the company and they continuously express this sentiment. iDigital is a growing and dynamic company and is considered a great place to work with opportunities for self fulfillment and personal development.
"We invest considerable resources in the development of our human capital, offer working conditions which are unique in the retail field and believe in an open dialogue between management and employees".
The association of iDigital workers coincides with a similar initiative in the United States. A month ago, an employee of the Apple San Francisco store reportedly initiated efforts to establish a formal workers' union for the company's retail workers.
Apple operates over 325 stores around the world in which it employs some 30,000 retail workers. Cory Moll, 30, said that he wanted to establish the union to protect the workers from "Apple's unfair practices".
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