TOWSON, Maryland (AP) — Workers at the first Apple Store to unionise have now also authorised a first strike against the tech giant’s retail operations.
Apple Store workers in Towson, Maryland, voted late Saturday to authorise a strike, according to a statement from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organised Retail Employees, which represents the workers.
No date was set for the strike. The vote followed what the union called “over a year of negotiations with Apple management that yielded unsatisfactory outcomes.”
According to the statement, the workers are seeking changes in what they call “unpredictable” scheduling practices and wages that align with the local cost of living.
“We deeply value our team members and we’re proud to provide them with industry leading compensation and exceptional benefits,” Apple said in a statement provided by a spokesperson. “As always, we will engage with the union representing our team in Towson respectfully and in good faith.”
Workers at the store in the Baltimore suburbs voted by a nearly 2-to-1 margin to unionise in June 2022, joining a growing push across US retail, service and tech industries to organise for greater workplace protections.
