 |
|
|
|||||
Talks between Apple and the union for the Apple Store in Oklahoma City have produced a tentative agreement that includes new benefits and protections for its staff. The Penn Square Mall Apple Store in Oklahoma City announced theyve reached a tentative labor agreement with Apple and the Communication Workers of America (CWA), according to a released statement. Terms are still being negotiated between both parties but the benefits for the stores employees would be significant. The three-year agreement reached between the CWA and Apple would give employees a wage increase of up to 11.5 percent. An Apple spokesperson said by email that if the contract is ratified, employees would receive a 4 percent raise in the first year of employment and 3 percent in the second and third year each based on employee performance. The agreement would also offer employees guaranteed paid time off and health and other benefits, allow employees to have a say in scheduling and the establishment of a safer and more democratic workplace through a grievance submission process with committees overseeing safety, health and working relations. An Apple spokesperson also noted the scheduling options were provided to all other US stores in 2022. The Oklahoma City Apple Store had been working to form a union since 2022, becoming the second Apple Store in the US to unionize. Employees passed a strike authorization vote in August that passed with unanimous support and started a picket in front of the store ahead of bargaining sessions in early September. Workers will vote to ratify the tentative agreement on September 22. CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase called the agreement achievement a historic day for our members who have now secured a contract at the worlds most profitable company. The Apple Store in the Towson Town Center in Towson, Maryland became the first location to unionize. Members approved the union in 2022 with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). A store in the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, Georgia tried to form a union in 2022 with the CWA but workers called it off accusing Apple of committing repeated violations of the National Labor Relations Act.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/an-apple-store-in-oklahoma-city-is-close-to-approving-an-union-agreement-for-its-workers-222605021.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Building just one smartphone from scratch would be a huge undertaking, even if the world is full of them. Now imagine trying to build one thats 100 times its normal size with nearly all the same forms and functions. YouTubers Matthew Perkins (DIY Perks) and Arun Maini (MrWhoseTheBoss) did exactly that, building a working replica of an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The completed project measured 6.74 feet tall and 440 pounds, earning the pair an official Guinness World Record. Perkins started his build with the screen, a massive undertaking that required converting a LG Signature 88-inch OLED TV into a responsive touchscreen. He commissioned a manufacturer to fabricate a piece of touch foil the size of the screen, which he fixed in place with an optically clear glue UV epoxy. The next challenge was finding a way to fit oversized versions of the phones components in a frame: the speakers, three-lens camera array, the volume and power buttons and the special function button. He built a frame out of aluminum with a cross shaped support in the middle. The cameras especially weren't cheap, as Perkins opted to use both a Canon EOS R5 as well as a Sony RX10 Mark 4 to mimic the iPhone 15 Pro Maxs telephoto lens. The frame was also designed to be permanently mounted to a similarly-scaled up phone stand so it could be rotated without giving the user a massive hernia. The only major component they couldn't recreate was the operating system, since Apple's iOS is closed-source. But using Android had two major perks: the Bliss OS recreated the feel of an iPhone home screen using a themed skin, and they could install Flappy Bird something actual iPhone owners haven't been able to do in nearly a decade. The phone may be big but it appears to be just as functional as a handheld iPhone. Maini and a group of friends took the phone into the real world to test it out, and apparently it can make tap-to-pay purchases, send emails and make video calls. Functional or not, it's brave to bring a $70,000 phone onto the streets of London without a case. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/youtubers-built-a-six-foot-tall-working-replica-of-apples-iphone-15-pro-max-201507959.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
YouTube confirmed its termination of five right-wing political channels believed to be connected to the Department of Justices Russia-linked US media indictments this week. The platform pulled the channel of Tenet Media, which CNN reported to be the unnamed company implicated in the indictment. The DOJ accused Russian operatives of paying the media organization to spread disinformation designed to influence the 2024 US elections. A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the takedown and provided a statement to Engadget. Following an indictment from the US Department of Justice and after careful review, we are terminating the Tenet Media channel and four channels operated by its owner Lauren Chen as part of our ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations, the company statement reads. According to YouTube, the investigation into the situation is ongoing, and the company will evaluate whether further actions are warranted as new information emerges. The company says it terminated over 4,000 YouTube channels in Q2 2024 as part of investigations into Russia-linked influence operations. YouTube works with Googles Threat Analysis Group (TAG) to identify bad actors and deplatform their channels and accounts accordingly. On Wednesday, the DOJ indicted two employees of RT (formerly Russia Today), a Kremlin-backed media outlet. They were accused of illegally funding a Tennessee-backed media organization, now all but officially confirmed as Tenet Media. DOJ prosecutors allege in the indictment that the media companys founders knew their funding came from the Russian government. Tenet Media is owned by Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan. The Washington Post reports that YouTube was Tenets preferred platform for spreading propaganda videos aimed at US conservatives and featuring popular right-wing pundits. Those working with the organization included Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin. The channels have even featured appearances from former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and RNC Chair Lara Trump. Pool and Rubin have reportedly denied knowledge that the Russian government was behind Tenets funding.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/youtube-terminates-five-right-wing-channels-linked-to-the-dojs-russia-indictments-175432238.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||