Apple Inc. is withholding its latest employee benefits from staff who work at its sole unionized retail store, a move that could potentially inflame labor tensions at the technology giant.
The company told retail and corporate staff this week that it will increase benefits for outside educational classes and health care, according to people familiar with the matter. Workers will get more funds to pursue coursework, and employees in some states will be able to access new health plan benefits, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the program hasn’t been announced publicly.
It’s part of a broader effort to reward workers at the Cupertino, California-based company, which has had to navigate inflationary pressure, a tight labor market and changing demands of workers during the pandemic. But the company was quick to inform the employees at its unionized retail location — a store in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, Maryland — that they wouldn’t get the new perks.
