'Don't Cross the Picket Line': Apple Workers Organize Christmas Eve Walkout

Dec. 24, 2021

"We are Apple. We deserve a respectful workplace. We deserve paid sick time. We deserve protection on the frontlines. We deserve proper mental healthcare."

A group of Apple employees organized a Christmas Eve walkout, demanding better working conditions and calling on customers to not shop in the tech giant's retail or online stores.

"We are Apple," Apple Together, the group organizing the walkout, tweeted Thursday. "We deserve a respectful workplace. We deserve paid sick time. We deserve protection on the frontlines. We deserve proper mental healthcare."

The workers are also asking for protective measures against Covid-19, including N-95 masks, sanitizer stations, a ban on loitering in stores, and appointment-only shopping.

"Demand that Apple upholds its image with your wallet," the walkout organizers said. "Don't shop in stores, don't shop online."

Apple Together—a group of company employees that formerly used the #AppleToo hashtag to draw attention to sexual harassment, sexism, and other workplace issues at the tech giant—said that in addition to Apple Store employees, workers at corporate offices and AppleCare are participating in the action.

The group is best known for blowing the whistle on sexism at the California-based company. Last month, group member and former company product manager Janneke Parrish filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) claiming she was fired for helping coworkers share their experiences of sexism and other discrimination at Apple.

Parrish followed Ashley Gjøvik—a former Apple product manager terminated after attempting to organize workers and sharing stories of sexual harassment—in filing an NLRB complaint against the company.

[Top photo: An Apple Store employee helps customers at International Plaza in Tampa, Florida on November 26, 2021. (Photo: Octavio Jones/Getty Images)]