Apple employees request customers not to cross the picket line

Apple Together, a group of corporate and retail employees, announced Thursday that employees would go on strike on Christmas Eve “to demand better working conditions.” Apple employees are asking customers not to picket the picket line or to shop at Apple on December 24, the group said on Twitter

“We deserve a respectful job. We deserve paid sick leave. We deserve protection on the front lines. We deserve adequate psychiatric care, ”the tweet reads. “Demand that Apple use your wallet to maintain its image. Don’t shop in stores. Don’t shop online.”

Apple has seen increased employee activism this year over alleged sexual harassment and other workplace issues.

In July, workers launched a petition asking for more flexible working conditions amid calls to return to the office during the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple last week delayed its return to work indefinitely following the advent of the highly infectious omicron variant as the number of cases began to skyrocket.

Cher Scarlett, a software engineer at Apple that became the public face of the #AppleToo movement, published an article on Medium in August claiming that complaints of sexual harassment, assault and racism were ignored by Apple executives. Scarlett left the company in November.

The US Department of Labor is investigating Apple over allegations by a former employee that the company retaliated against Apple when it raised concerns about unsafe working conditions and workplace harassment.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.