Apple to Continue Paying Contract Workers While Campuses Are Shuttered

Contract workers at Apple's Silicon Valley campuses will continue to be paid their normal wages while Santa Clara County's shelter in place order is in effect, an Apple spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal today.

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The announcement was a departure from Apple's original plans. Over the last few days, hundreds of contract workers were told that their jobs would be suspended without pay, but Apple appears to have reversed course on that decision.

Apple's contract workers include janitors, bus drivers, and other individuals who perform similar functions on its Apple Park and Infinite Loop locations.

On Monday, in response to an inquiry from The Wall Street Journal, a spokeswoman said the janitors' pay would continue. "We're working with all of our suppliers to ensure hourly workers such as janitorial staff are being paid during this difficult time," spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said after the Journal's inquiry about the job elimination notices.

It appears that many contractors were mistakenly informed that their jobs would be suspended, and it's not clear why. One janitor at Apple's campus, Patricia Cortez, was called into an Apple office on Sunday alongside colleagues and told that her job had been eliminated.

Bus drivers were also concerned about payment as Apple had not told WeDriveU and Hallcon Corp, two companies who manage Apple's shuttle service, whether contracts would be paid.

Apple previously said that it is paying all of its hourly workers, such as retail employees and cafeteria staff, but had not previously confirmed that it was going to continue paying contractors.

Apple's Silicon Valley campuses will be shut down until at least May 3 due to the extension of the shelter in place order in the Bay Area. Apple's retail stores in the United States and other countries outside of China also remain closed, though some could begin opening as soon as the first half of April.

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Top Rated Comments

julesme Avatar
69 months ago
That would have been absolutely pathetic to cut those workers’ pay just to save $35 million (that’s an ANNUAL figure for the 600 workers, per the Journal). AAPL has >$200BN in cash.

Glad to see they reversed course.

Also - It’s worth noting that it doesn’t even make financial sense to cut their pay because the brand damage from potential negative publicity is worth a lot more than $35 million.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
69 months ago
Well done Apple, and thank you.

The ethics of Apple under Tim’s leadership is one of the key reasons I remain a customer, and proudly so.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kennyt72 Avatar
69 months ago

Good on Apple! I wonder if the other tech giants are following suit...
Read the article and you'll get the answer, it seems Apple is being a little shady here and saying the workers wouldn't get paid then backtracking and saying they would when they were challenged about it, they should have said they'd pay them from day one just like Facebook and Google did.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sideshowuniqueuser Avatar
69 months ago

It’s pathetic to not pay people who don’t come to work?

okay then.
What's pathetic is that they are "contractors" in the first place. They're not really contractors, they are employees forced to go onto contract so that the employer can wash their hands of all the employee benefits and rights. Sickening.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
69 months ago

Well done Apple, and thank you.

The ethics of Apple under Tim’s leadership is one of the key reasons I remain a customer, and proudly so.
For sure on that. That bit of generosity is enough to get me off the fence and order a 2020 iPad Pro.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
69 months ago

That would have been absolutely pathetic to cut those workers’ pay just to save $35 million (that’s an ANNUAL figure for the 600 workers, per the Journal). AAPL has >$200BN in cash.

Glad to see they reversed course.

Also - It’s worth noting that it doesn’t even make financial sense to cut their pay because the brand damage from potential negative publicity is worth a lot more than $35 million.
Their net cash is far lower, just FYI...and paying contractors isn’t an obligation.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)