In 2024, employees secured increased wages and enhanced workplace protections. Apple plans to close three of its retail locations in June, including the first store to achieve unionization. The Towson, Maryland store, north of Baltimore, unionized with the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) in 2022, organized alongside the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (CORE). Another Apple store in Oklahoma City followed Towson’s lead by unionizing shortly after. However, other unionization efforts at Apple have faced challenges due to company pressure, according to CNBC.
Towson employees were informed of the store’s upcoming closure during a Thursday morning call. Their initial contract with Apple, secured in 2024, is set to expire in 2027. Union representatives claim that Apple’s reason for not relocating employees is prohibited by the union’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), but Apple has encouraged staff to apply for other positions. Employees from the other two affected stores, Apple North County in Escondido, California, and Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut, will be transferred to nearby locations.
IAM disputes Apple’s claim that relocation is impossible and accuses the company of attempting to undermine the union. Apple attributes the closures to “declining conditions” in local shopping areas, such as departures from the Townson Town Center mall and a general shift away from mall-based locations. IAM Union expressed frustration with Apple’s decision, highlighting the abandonment of workers and a crucial community resource.
Over recent years, Apple employees across the country have been working to unionize retail staff, including sales associates and Genius Bar employees.