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Friday, February 5, 2010

Apple store gets a hearty Philly welcome
Pickets at 1607 Walnut St.

Center City's first Apple store has not officially been announced for 1607 Walnut St., but demo work has started inside.

And so begins a rite of passage, one experienced by so many retailers:

Pickets have set up outside, alleging that the developer dared to hire nonunion workers, even though the rest of the job supposedly will be performed by union labor.

Perhaps instead of an inflatable rat, the unions will trot out a wireless mouse.
Posted by Michael Klein @ 1:43 PM  Permalink | 21 comments
21
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:49 PM, 02/05/2010
    this city...
    — rachelp
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:00 PM, 02/05/2010
    F the unions! They are a big reason that Philly is corrupt and stuck in the 19th century.
    — philly57
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:39 PM, 02/05/2010
    about damn time. Let the apple cultists overspend in the city instead of the burbs.
    — Pelti
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:47 PM, 02/05/2010
    any company should hire whomever they want, union be damned.
    — palmyra21
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:04 PM, 02/05/2010
    Ahh the unions...ensuring that the surly, lazy and just generally unpleasant collect a check for a (half) day of work that may or may not have been performed. Just remember - you've got a 9th grade education and a sense of entitlement, so don't ever let anyone tell you that you're wrong...
    — dr.anonymous,md
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:21 PM, 02/05/2010
    stupid unions!
    — lincolndrive
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:21 PM, 02/05/2010
    The unions in this city just don't get it. Apple is a funny company. Steve Jobs could decide based on the union protesters that he doesn't want to come to this city, and then we lose. Oh well, there is always SpringBoard Media.
    — rs505
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:42 PM, 02/05/2010
    Unions provide my family a living.
    — Global Warmer
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:25 PM, 02/05/2010
    The Unions poison everything. I'm all for organizing employees, but the way Unions operate is just killing our economy.
    — my3cents
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:41 PM, 02/05/2010
    Given the choice, no wonder it's so hard to attract business to the city. I mean, City Council had to intervene to prevent MTV's Real World from walking cause of union issues? These guys all live in Jersey anyway.
    — Philly Resident 19146
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:19 PM, 02/05/2010
    Global Warmer - I would say the employer who pays you and you who provide the services provide your family a living. Are non-union workers not providing their family a living as well?
    — gsfesq
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:22 PM, 02/05/2010
    Unions are so dam stupid, living in yesteryear! Apple is a company we should be welcoming with open arms! They say "Quality", wether you like them or not, they're making $$! While those poor laid off union workers listen to the iPods, folks that work for reasonable rates, and WORK! That's what Apple Does! Get out of their way, and stop all Union interference. When I wanted to join a union in the early 70's, they didn't want me, 5 years later, when my business was a "Hit", they wanted to protest me. Go away, backwards thinkers! Welcome Apple! And, thanks for coming to Philly! BTW, Springboard Media is a great store, and where I bought my last iMac! Rock on!
    — PAW
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:46 PM, 02/05/2010
    Remember, in a perfect world unions aren't necessary. Yup, this world, "ain't," so perfect...
    — eMMster
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:47 PM, 02/05/2010
    Nobody who comments on philly.com has any idea what they're talking about. The long-term trends in this country support some of the stereotypes about unions, and there is a long history of corruption in unions, but that's only one sliver of the picture. It is government policy and long-term global macroeconomic trends that have led to the dramatic shrinking of the U.S. industrial base, NOT unions. Everyone in this country who is willing to work an honest job should earn a living wage, and somebody who works at the water department is just as vital to the life of our city and society as a brain surgeon. When we learn to value everybody's contribution, and begin to think about the long-term well-being of our entire society, we'll be on the road to sustainable economic recovery. Unfortunately, its probably going to take an economic disaster to wake people up, and it ain't gonna be pretty - or fun.
    — Bob Dobbs


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About Michael Klein
Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
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