Microsoft Says it Won't Fight Labor Unions

Microsoft announced that it would cooperate with Labour Unions, signalling a departure from its sector counterparts. Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, stated in a blog post on Thursday that the business recognises and respects its employees' "legal freedom to form or join a union." 

"We are committed to creative and collaborative approaches with unions when employees wish to exercise their rights and Microsoft is presented with a specific unionization proposal," said Smith. Smith explained that the Redmond-based company was taking this new strategy because ideas around the nature of labour and companies' responsibility to workers had shifted.

In recent months, there has been a strong push for labour rights in America's private sector, and workers have been agitating to unite collectively. According to a new Gallup poll, 68 percent of Americans approve of unions last year, the highest level of support for the labour movement since 1965. Workers' efforts to organise have been encouraged by the outpouring of support.

In the digital sector, workers at a New York warehouse created Amazon's first union in April. Meanwhile, Apple's retail employees have started organising this year as well.