Apple has agreed to make employee schedules at its retail locations more flexible in an attempt to improve working conditions and possibly stave off a move to unionization in its stores.
Bloomberg reports that going forward, there will be at least 12 hours between each shift that an employee is required to work, an increase from the current 10-hour minimum. Employees will also not be asked to work past 8:00 pm for more than three days per week unless this is what they choose to do.
Employees will no longer be scheduled to work more than five days in a row, which will be a drop from the current six days. However, there could be exceptions to this rule during holidays and new product launches. Full-time employees will be eligible for a full weekend off for each six-month period that they work.
Bloomberg says that Apple plans to implement these scheduling changes in the coming months, and they will be in addition to new benefits the company introduced in February, when it increased the number of available paid sick days, increased the number of vacation days, and increased parental leave.
Apple has been quietly pushing back against unionization efforts in its U.S. stores. Employees have complained of stagnant wages, poor benefits, and lax health protocols as part of the effort to unionize.
Apple’s retail chief recently Deirdre O’Brien pushed back against unionization efforts at some of the company’s brick-and-mortar locations in a new video to staff members. O’Brien told staff members that the efforts could slow workplace progress and potentially harm the relationship between Apple and its employees.
Apple retail workers in Atlanta accused the company of violating the National Labor Relations Act and countering an ongoing union drive at an Apple Store location in the city.
The company has circulated anti-union materials to select store managers and has also hired anti-union lawyers to respond to the Atlanta unionization push.