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Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

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Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#81

Post by bombcar »

Apocryphon wrote: post #79
bombcar wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not so sure, some of these things seem unreasonable: >And it wants to extend paid bereavement leave from 10 days per occurrence to a maximum of 45 days a year and for the policy to include pets and close friends. >Tipping >Finally, the union is asking Apple to pay $1 an hour more to employees who become first-aid certified, and to provide as many as 34 weeks of severance pay in the event of a layoff. I get the id…

What’s wrong with bereavement time?

12% of each year (or 17% if only counting working days) for paid bereavement (including pets) seems unreasonably high.

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#83

Post by bombcar »

anigbrowl wrote: post #78
bombcar wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not so sure, some of these things seem unreasonable: >And it wants to extend paid bereavement leave from 10 days per occurrence to a maximum of 45 days a year and for the policy to include pets and close friends. >Tipping >Finally, the union is asking Apple to pay $1 an hour more to employees who become first-aid certified, and to provide as many as 34 weeks of severance pay in the event of a layoff. I get the id…

First aid certification is worth something. Not sure it's worth $2000/year, given that a customer who suffered a medical episode in an Apple store would probably end up suing Apple anyway, but it does add value. It's also something the union could organize as a quid pro quo. 34 weeks of severance seems wildly optimistic though.

Apple paying for your first aid certification (even paying more than it costs to get it) would seem reasonable; having the ability to have employees who are paid more for it would open them to amusing liability, I'd assume (imagine someone has an incident and nobody currently in the building is one of these power-employees, or one attempts first aid and something occurs).

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#84

Post by Apocryphon »

bombcar wrote: post #74
missedthecue wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The marginal cost of putting a tipping screen in the payment flow is close to zero. If one person tips for the whole year, it's pure profit. Yes, it might annoy customers, but I have a hard time buying the idea that people will go buy a Samsung phone because Apple stores ask for a tip. I've seen online checkout pages for e-commerce stores asking for tips now. Not even for custom products or commissioned art or anythi…

There are always marginal customers who are barely hanging on, and already angry with Apple for whatever reason, and seeing a tip screen may finally throw them over the edge. Imagine an example where someone came in for a warranty repair, got told it had some very minor water damage, and so it was not covered, and now has to pay $499 for a repair they feel should have been free (let's assume the water "damage" has no…

While the scenario you’ve outlined can- certainly happen, I think some studies have to be carried out to really determine tipping as the final insult to tip irate customers over the line into lost business.

Personally I don’t regard it as such a severe affront. To me, modern payment flows are such a bloated mess of screens that I’m half surprised Apple Stores don’t already have a tipping screens. If it wasn’t tipping, it’d be an appeal to donate to the St. Jude’s Children Hospital or to the Ronald McDonald fund. When supermarkets and fast food joints have all of these extra payment screens, a tipping screen at an electronics retailer doesn’t trigger me any more intensely.

Is this right? No. But it’s the state of payments, and it’s easy enough to tune out. Just another way how every vendor is trying to squeeze every last drop from consumers.

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#85

Post by pb7 »

makestuff wrote: post #48
bombcar wrote: post #9

This is so ridiculous that I assume it is intentional sabotage. Isn't the whole idea behind unionization that we can get beyond tipping? https://archive.ph/v1tpo >In addition to an overall raise, representatives from the store are asking Apple for higher pay over a larger slate of holidays, including the day after Thanksgiving. The union is also seeking to expand vacation pay and available time off based on years of…

"Isn't the whole idea behind unionization that we can get beyond tipping?" Every time this comes up on Reddit people in the food service industry say they do not want to get rid of tips.

That's because complaints about tips are bald-faced lies. Tipped employees make much more with tips than they would otherwise, doubly so because cash tips are chronically unreported to the IRS. Income numbers are skewed across the board because the US's service industry participates in blatant tax evasion.

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#86

Post by flandish »

no_wizard wrote: post #16

I am shocked a labor union is okay with tipping as a mechanism of compensation. Its antithetical to their own goals usually, let alone Apple is not going to take kind to this. Tipping is out of control as it is, at least in the US. Where does it stop I have to wonder. Lets just keep the fight about fair wages, benefits and working conditions first and foremost. This feels like its waiting for public backlash

Why are you shocked? Starbucks employees have formed unions and tipping is still allowed.

Wanting tipping is a signal that pay is not high enough - you see it here, with the reactions. A deeper look might reveal they could be paid more. Just like Starbucks employees.

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#87

Post by pb7 »

badwolf wrote: post #73
Workaccount2 wrote: post #45

If you have never worked a tipped job, let me clue you into something: You make substantially more than other jobs of the same skill level. I'm not talking edge cases like waffle house in rural Arkansas, if you work for tips somewhere where people are, you are going to be making a killing relative to other work. This is why you get talking out of both sides of tipped workers mouths. Tips are perpetually terrible and…

The double-speak from people about tipping "I only get paid $2.15 an hour!" ... Yet the story changes the other way when mention of eliminating tipping and raising your wage comes up.

Or the complaints about getting paychecks for $5 after working a week even though all that means is that their tips were so high that the entire base wage went towards tax withholding. Service industry workers lie and they lie a lot. Their tune would change very quickly if there was federal legislation outlawing tipping in lieu of higher minimum wage.

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#88

Post by Apocryphon »

pb7 wrote: post #85
makestuff wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Isn't the whole idea behind unionization that we can get beyond tipping?" Every time this comes up on Reddit people in the food service industry say they do not want to get rid of tips.

That's because complaints about tips are bald-faced lies. Tipped employees make much more with tips than they would otherwise, doubly so because cash tips are chronically unreported to the IRS. Income numbers are skewed across the board because the US's service industry participates in blatant tax evasion.

I think tipping is an archaic Americanism that should be replaced by living wages or family wages, as much as anyone. But, oh no, not tax irregularities from service workers.

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#89

Post by Apocryphon »

pb7 wrote: post #87
badwolf wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The double-speak from people about tipping "I only get paid $2.15 an hour!" ... Yet the story changes the other way when mention of eliminating tipping and raising your wage comes up.

Or the complaints about getting paychecks for $5 after working a week even though all that means is that their tips were so high that the entire base wage went towards tax withholding. Service industry workers lie and they lie a lot. Their tune would change very quickly if there was federal legislation outlawing tipping in lieu of higher minimum wage.

Alright, calm down Mr. Pink.

Re: Apple’s Unionized Store Wants to Start Accepting Tips from Customers

#90

Post by ASalazarMX »

hn_throawlles wrote: post #31
polishdude20 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah isn't it literally your basic minimum job requirement to be showing people the capabilities of an iphone? You want me to buy your product, YOU show me why I should want it.

the point is who pays for this 'service' work? Apple? the corporation designing the devices being potentially bought or you? the potential customer paying with a tip to the store's employee??

This may be controversial, but I think the company who hired the salesmen/employees should pay them.
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