New deal would put strict hiring demands on Apple

Travis County commissioners could potentially approve an altered handout deal to Apple later today, according to the Austin-American Statesman. Apple is hoping to build a second campus in Austin, Texas worth $304 million, and is expected to bring 3,665 more jobs to the city over the course of the next 10 years. The county may contribute $6.4 million out of a total $36 million in incentives, but last week skepticism about the deal postponed a vote on the matter.

The revised deal includes strict hiring guidelines, such as a $35,000 average salary for the bottom 10 percent of Apple workers, and at least $11 per hour for contractors, who may account for up to 25 percent of the new jobs. Apple must hire at least 300 new people by the end of 2016, and the entirety of the promised amount by the end of 2025.

A judge interviewed by the Statesman, Sam Biscoe, says that contrary to an earlier report, he hasn't witnessed any frustration from the Apple representative he has been negotiating with. Last week, several commissioners and other parties in the matter worried that the handout arrangement wouldn't help Austin enough.

by MacNN Staff