Employees Complain To Apple CEO Over Bag Search Policy

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I don't know why these guys are complaining, lowly workers are lucky they are even allowed to be in the presence of Apple products in the first place.

One worker wrote to Cook in April 2012 with the subject line “Fearless Feedback from Apple Retail Specialist,” saying that the bag check policies are “both insulting and demeaning to Apple employees.” The unnamed worker wrote that Apple managers “are required to treat ‘valued’ employees as criminals” when asking employees to show their iPhones and cards when they leave and have their bags searched — all on their own time.
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Their store their rules.

With the street value of this crap, Apple would be losing money left and right if they didn't institute this. Don't like it? Work somewhere else.
 
Don't bring bags or your phone to work, then? I don't bring anything personal to work, and I sit at a desk all day. Cell phone sits in the car.
 
If they think that's bad, they should try working in an Amazon datacenter, where someone might need to subject themselves to as many as four screenings, bag checks, and pat downs, just to replace parts in a broken server or network device.
 
Quit bitching and find another place to work where they are ok with expensive products walking away.
 
I don't have a problem with the search as it's likely part of the employee-employer contract. But it shouldn't be done on employee time. The bag search should take place before the time clock since it is a mandatory procedure.
 
1) use clear bags.
2) any store selling products like that will have similar security checks.
3) its work, and employees shouldn't have that much shit to begin with
 
I have a federal office job and walk through a metal detector and put my bags through a scanner all the time. Such is life when you have a job, you don't make the rules your employer does.
 
They should at least get paid for the search imo. Also, this should not be performed in front of customers. On the other hand I agree, if its company policy that you agreed to upon being hired...deal with it or find a new job.
 
I have worked for several companies that have search policies at their factories ... all of them were mandatory and ranged from X-ray, metal detectors, bag searches, frisk, or a combination of the above ... all of them occurred after the employees have clocked out ... really it is a standard practice (and legal in all countries that are doing it) so I don't see that it is something to get worked up over
 
drklu said:
They should at least get paid for the search imo. Also, this should not be performed in front of customers. On the other hand I agree, if its company policy that you agreed to upon being hired...deal with it or find a new job.
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I have worked for three different companies that search or run employees through metal detectors ... all of them occur at the entrances and exits while the time clocks were inside the building past the search point so the searches were on the employee time ... however, since the search occurs everyday the employees should know what not to bring so they get through the search faster
 
BakedA|aska said:
If they think that's bad, they should try working in an Amazon datacenter, where someone might need to subject themselves to as many as four screenings, bag checks, and pat downs, just to replace parts in a broken server or network device.
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What data center was that in? In Boardman, OR, we had no checks. Just walk in and out with whatever. We have 4 data centers here now, and two more about 15 miles away. Parts are checked out of the cage and then checked in at the other DC. At least that's how it was a few years ago when I worked there. Things may have changed. It was pretty laid back when I was there, though.

Walmart Distribution Center was pretty thorough. They check your lunch pail or bag on the way out. I was fine with it, as they did have a huge bust of people stealing shit out there ($100,000+ of stuff stolen).

Where I work now, there aren't many rules like that. There is a loss of wine that is stolen, but I have no idea how. Lots of people and people notice when wine goes out the door.
 
kbrickley said:
I have worked for three different companies that search or run employees through metal detectors ... all of them occur at the entrances and exits while the time clocks were inside the building past the search point so the searches were on the employee time ... however, since the search occurs everyday the employees should know what not to bring so they get through the search faster
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LOL. eyah... and you know what sucks, is having a hip replacement and metal detectors.. heheh.. I think next time I go flying, im just going to walk through in a tshirt and boxers and socks.
 
Zohar78 said:
LOL. eyah... and you know what sucks, is having a hip replacement and metal detectors.. heheh.. I think next time I go flying, im just going to walk through in a tshirt and boxers and socks.
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since all the companies I worked for had badges I am sure they could give a person with a medical element (hip, knee, pacemaker, etc) a card to show security ... when I carried my company computer and phone in the Kuala Lumpur facility I needed a card for both (or they would have been confiscated) ... security issued the card at entry the first time ... all the employees at the site had similar cards

for one of my employers who had a plant in the Philippines, they searched your bags going in (but I think they were looking for weapons and bombs :cool: )
 
Ur_Mom said:
What data center was that in? In Boardman, OR, we had no checks. Just walk in and out with whatever. We have 4 data centers here now, and two more about 15 miles away. Parts are checked out of the cage and then checked in at the other DC. At least that's how it was a few years ago when I worked there. Things may have changed. It was pretty laid back when I was there, though.

Walmart Distribution Center was pretty thorough. They check your lunch pail or bag on the way out. I was fine with it, as they did have a huge bust of people stealing shit out there ($100,000+ of stuff stolen).

Where I work now, there aren't many rules like that. There is a loss of wine that is stolen, but I have no idea how. Lots of people and people notice when wine goes out the door.
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I've worked in pretty much all of them, globally, and sad to say they started implementing some downright draconian security processes over the last year or so. Definitely not the same employer they were several years ago.
 
What a bunch of whiners.

Also, the fact that so many former Apple employees have told stories online about how they stole products, I'm surprised it these people have anything to whine about.
 
by the looks of the average apple genius unless they are doing cavity searches a lot of iphones are leaving their stores via the buttocks. probably ipads too.
 
Spidey329 said:
I don't have a problem with the search as it's likely part of the employee-employer contract. But it shouldn't be done on employee time. The bag search should take place before the time clock since it is a mandatory procedure.
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This^

If it's a mandatory action, then they should be paying them for it if they are hourly employees. Hourly employees are literally paid for their time, therefore if an action that the business mandates takes time then the employee should be paid. Period.
 
I am positive a salaried employee is also paid for their time. Do you really need a bag to work at an Apple store? I can't imagine checking a brown lunch bag could take more than 5 seconds.
 
kbrickley said:
since all the companies I worked for had badges I am sure they could give a person with a medical element (hip, knee, pacemaker, etc) a card to show security ... when I carried my company computer and phone in the Kuala Lumpur facility I needed a card for both (or they would have been confiscated) ... security issued the card at entry the first time ... all the employees at the site had similar cards

for one of my employers who had a plant in the Philippines, they searched your bags going in (but I think they were looking for weapons and bombs :cool: )
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eyah.. amazon has a medical card, but you still will get double searched.. once by the metal detector then the hand wand
 
canna said:
This^

If it's a mandatory action, then they should be paying them for it if they are hourly employees. Hourly employees are literally paid for their time, therefore if an action that the business mandates takes time then the employee should be paid. Period.
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as shown in the recent amazon case dealing with this, courts/government and companies don't care about our free time
 
travanx said:
I am positive a salaried employee is also paid for their time. Do you really need a bag to work at an Apple store? I can't imagine checking a brown lunch bag could take more than 5 seconds.
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I work in a office setting and everything I bring to work fits in one hand (sammich, water bottle, and some sort of fruit).

It is part of the job. My last position was hourly and I was required to be clocked in before 7 so that I had ample time to get my work order ready and desk cleaned and ready to start working at 7, but my time would be altered so as to not start actually paying me until 7. So that was about 10 minutes a day of prep time that was not paid.

#howhardisittoworkatanapplestoreanyways
 
travanx said:
I am positive a salaried employee is also paid for their time.
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Actually, salaried employees are paid for the job. It shouldn't mater if it takes 80 hours or 1 hour to complete your work, you still get paid the same if on salary.

The rules vary depending on the state, but a there are usually several requirements that must be met to be classified as salary. You usually need to be a manager, have flexible hours, or a fairly high pay rate. These rules tend to be abused a lot in the IT industry, especially among smaller companies. Most my jobs have been salary, but should have been classified as hourly since the jobs didn't met the requirements. However, I accepted the jobs and agreed to the employment terms, so I really don't care.

Generally, if you are required to be there for specific hours (like 8 to 5) every day, and you do not spend most your time managing other people, then you should be hourly.

Anyone who is not a salaried employee, is automatically considered hourly, and subject to the overtime laws.
 
I don't really care what the law is, I care what it should be. If you want to search an employee or do anything that you force an employee to do you pay for their time. No excuses. Should be a federal law. I break things up by choice, I cant choose your company policy so anything you force me to do should be a cost the company incurs. On the other hand I choose where I want to live so the commute to work is on me.

Then the company can decide if its worth their time to search you or anything else. If its not on company time companies won't give a shit which we saw in the amazon case where lines could be 30 minutes long. There are hundreds of ways an employer can make this really easy and fast but if they aren't paying for the time they won't give a shit. Same goes for companies saying you need to be there X minutes early, fine as long as you are paying for me to sit around for 15 minutes I don't care, if I am not being paid screw off, shit shouldn't even be legal. Another one I think is BS is uniforms that must be supplied by the company. At every place if they want you to wear anything the first full set should be free, and you should be granted a full set once per year or so.
 
Whenever there was a company induced delay before clocking in I always wrote the time on my time card. I got paid for my time, period. I always loved it when a place would try that whole mandatory meeting with no pay crap too. I skipped those unless they agreed to pay me. They always paid after I skipped the first meeting.
 
nutzo said:
Actually, salaried employees are paid for the job. It shouldn't mater if it takes 80 hours or 1 hour to complete your work, you still get paid the same if on salary.

The rules vary depending on the state, but a there are usually several requirements that must be met to be classified as salary. You usually need to be a manager, have flexible hours, or a fairly high pay rate. These rules tend to be abused a lot in the IT industry, especially among smaller companies. Most my jobs have been salary, but should have been classified as hourly since the jobs didn't met the requirements. However, I accepted the jobs and agreed to the employment terms, so I really don't care.

Generally, if you are required to be there for specific hours (like 8 to 5) every day, and you do not spend most your time managing other people, then you should be hourly.

Anyone who is not a salaried employee, is automatically considered hourly, and subject to the overtime laws.
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The FLSA contains dozens of exemptions, which basically provide that specific categories of employers and employees aren’t subject to the Act’s overtime requirements. Most common are the “white-collar” exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees, computer professionals, and outside sales employees. Although it can certainly be abused for IT people working in a manufacturing environment, in general, almost all professional degreed personnel are going to be classified as Exempt from overtime rules (at least in the USA)
 
Hi All
As some of the replies show most folk don't care what policies their employers have. Personally I wouldn't work at a company that felt I can't be trusted, and needed to be searched
 
jtm55 said:
Hi All
As some of the replies show most folk don't care what policies their employers have. Personally I wouldn't work at a company that felt I can't be trusted, and needed to be searched
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Most of us care. But we realize there are people who steal and the employer should have the right to not lose that money to the employee. People are crafty in how they steal. From the easy put in the lunch pail to the more personal hide it on the persons private area. I'm sure many of us have heard our share of stories.

The easy way to fix it is to minimalize. I don't need to bring a bage to work. Take only the essentials. I'd leave the cell phone in the car as well but it's their cell that I have to carry it. I see many people bringing back packs, bags, and other stuff to work all the time. If the company I work for starts searching bags and stuff I will be pissed. Not at the company but at the person who holds up the line due to bringing in everything but the kitchen sink in their bag.
 
I'd like to have my company trusted too, but unfortunately my company recently suffered several massive leaks of trade secrets that it had to step up its security, although no actual bag searching is done, our company mandate us (and supplies them too) to use transparent bags to bring our personal belongings. That's already in addition to file encryption and USB port blocking (we block USB ports both physically and electronically).

But it has one added advantage that we can never bring our work home due to that policy, and we are still paid for overtime, when other companies in the country does not.
 
Gavv said:
Most of us care. But we realize there are people who steal and the employer should have the right to not lose that money to the employee. People are crafty in how they steal. From the easy put in the lunch pail to the more personal hide it on the persons private area. I'm sure many of us have heard our share of stories.

The easy way to fix it is to minimalize. I don't need to bring a bage to work. Take only the essentials. I'd leave the cell phone in the car as well but it's their cell that I have to carry it. I see many people bringing back packs, bags, and other stuff to work all the time. If the company I work for starts searching bags and stuff I will be pissed. Not at the company but at the person who holds up the line due to bringing in everything but the kitchen sink in their bag.
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Hi All
Here's the thing, with all the background & credit checks employers run before the employee is hired you'd think that the person in question would be trustworthy. I was in the Navy, worked for the county, and am now employed by one of the largest hospitals in NY. I've never been searched by any of those employers.
 
jtm55 said:
Hi All
Here's the thing, with all the background & credit checks employers run before the employee is hired you'd think that the person in question would be trustworthy. I was in the Navy, worked for the county, and am now employed by one of the largest hospitals in NY. I've never been searched by any of those employers.
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A background check will only weed out those who have been caught in the past. Just because you were in the Navy doesn't make you any more or less trustworthy. People from all walks of life and careers can do things that are wrong for whatever reason seems good to them at the time.

I don't like the idea of searches, I don't like the idea of my computer at work being monitored. But I understand why they do it and take my own precautions to make sure I am not doing things stupid.
 
I don't see this as a problem despite the fact that Apple sucks. Except for the Woz that is. :)
 
Apple should realize that no amount of internal security will prevent the world from discovering that Apple produces mostly junk with high profit margins...;) (Some people are slower than others, though, apparently.)
 
daglesj said:
Why take a bag? They only work in a shop FFS!
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No problem, I'll carry my tampons in by hand and set them visibly behind the customer counter rather than storing them in a private bag. My prescription pills? I'll leave those out for everybody to see as well. Maybe I want to do school work on my lunch?

There's a whole host of reasons people would bring a bag.
 
rudy said:
I don't really care what the law is, I care what it should be. If you want to search an employee or do anything that you force an employee to do you pay for their time. No excuses. Should be a federal law. I break things up by choice, I cant choose your company policy so anything you force me to do should be a cost the company incurs. On the other hand I choose where I want to live so the commute to work is on me.

Then the company can decide if its worth their time to search you or anything else. If its not on company time companies won't give a shit which we saw in the amazon case where lines could be 30 minutes long. There are hundreds of ways an employer can make this really easy and fast but if they aren't paying for the time they won't give a shit. Same goes for companies saying you need to be there X minutes early, fine as long as you are paying for me to sit around for 15 minutes I don't care, if I am not being paid screw off, shit shouldn't even be legal. Another one I think is BS is uniforms that must be supplied by the company. At every place if they want you to wear anything the first full set should be free, and you should be granted a full set once per year or so.
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100% agree.

The crux of the ruling was that it was "non-essential" to the job role. Fine, if it's not essential then I'm not doing it. If I was in that situation I'd just walk the fuck out and not let them search me if I was off the clock. Fire me? I'd sue them, after all the company themselves argued that it was "non-essential".
 
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