Apple store workers in Maryland agree to strike

It was a busy weekend for trade union organizations in US Apple stores. The union at one store voted to authorize a strike, while workers at one other store voted against forming a union.

In 2022, workers in Towson, Maryland, became the primary formally recognized union at an Apple retail store. The union, a part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, voted on Saturday in favor of authorize a strike. The date of the potential strike has not yet been set.

“This vote today is the first step in demonstrating our solidarity and sends a clear signal to Apple,” the IAM CORE negotiating committee said in an announcement. “The passage of the strike sanctions decision underscores IAM CORE’s unwavering commitment to promoting the rights and well-being of workers in the face of challenges. As we continue conversations with Apple leadership, we remain committed to delivering tangible improvements that benefit all employees.”

The union says it has been in negotiations with Apple since January 2023 on issues including work-life balance, unpredictable schedules and wages.

“We highly value our team members and are proud to provide them with industry-leading pay and exceptional benefits,” an Apple spokesperson said he told Bloomberg. “As always, we will work with the union representing our team at Towson respectfully and in good faith.”

Bloomberg also reported that a vote to merge the Short Hills, New Jersey store with the Communication Workers of America failed. Before the CWA vote filed a grievance about unfair labor practices against Apple for allegedly retaliating against one in every of the store’s organizers by scheduling “unprecedented multiple meetings with his supervisor and denying leave requests.”

This is what the National Labor Relations Board ruled earlier this week Apple violated federal labor law in 2022, confiscating union leaflets and questioning workers about union efforts on the Apple store in New York’s World Trade Center.