Apple is raising minimum pay to $22 an hour, Google contract workers push back against the return to the office, and TokTok workers complain of toxic work schedules.
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Monday, May 30, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
Apple is raising the minimum pay for hourly workers to $22 an hour and higher in certain markets, an increase of 45 per cent compared to 2018 rates. According to the Wall Street Journal, the decision is in response to rising inflation, a tighter labour market and unionization efforts. The raise will mostly affect frontline workers, those in retail and warehouse positions. With that said, some salaried positions will also get a raise. As Mac Rumors reported, Apple employees have been trying to unionize lately, an effort some in leadership positions say could lead to downsides for workers.
Source: Mac Rumors
Contract workers employed by Cognizant, a Google Maps labour contractor, are pushing back against the company’s in-person work policies. According to Bloomberg, Google’s third-party contract workers don’t receive the same benefits as full-time Alphabet employees but are still required to follow some of the same work policies. In one case, Cognizant denied a medical exemption request to work from homemade by a contractor who has had four surgeries. Cognizant later told Bloomberg that there has been a miscommunication in processing the employee’s request. This appears to be one story of many. Last week, 120 Cognizant employees signed a petition to push for remote work. The petition argued that working from home is an invaluable benefit.
Source: Bloomberg
Workers at TikTok are also unhappy about their working conditions due to long hours. Former employees of the social platform have criticized the company for its overworking culture and secrecy about pay. Some employees based inSan Francisco and New York offices described a 996 culture, defined by working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week, a common practice in China. Complaints included around-the-clock meetings that ran into midnight and poor work-life balance, leading to a burn and churn culture. Some employees even routinely worked 80 hours per week.
Source: Business Insider
Walmart has expanded its drone delivery service in the U.S. In a press release last Friday, the company announced that it will be expanding its DroneUp delivery network to 34 sites across six states. These drones will be able to deliver small items–Tylenol, diapers, hotdog buns and such–in as little as two hours. Participating locations will include a team of certified pilots operating within FAA guidelines. Additionally, Walmart wants to use its drone for insurance emergency response and real-estate purposes. For example, a construction agency can work with DroneUp to survey on-site job progress.
Source: Walmart
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash briefings or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Thursday morning. If you have a suggestion or a tip, drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thank you for listening, I’m Tom Li.