Union Moves Grow in Apple Retail

Apple Towson Town Center - Image via Apple

04 MAY 2022 - Moves to unionize continue at Apple retail locations. The Washington Post ran a lengthy piece Tuesday, highlighting moves at the Towson Mall store near Baltimore, Maryland. According to the report:

The organizers notified Apple chief executive Tim Cook of their intention to organize as the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees ― AppleCore for short ― in a letter dated Tuesday, a copy of which was reviewed by The Post. 

Organizers say they’ve been garnering support to unionize for close to a year, working with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. An organizer with that union says AppleCore plans to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) “in the coming days.” The Post has store organizers saying that “they have signatures from more than 65 percent of employees who are likely to be eligible, giving them a ‘supermajority’ that would be difficult for [Apple] to overcome.”

The Maryland store is the third Apple Retail location to make definitive union moves. There’s also Fruit Stand Workers United at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, and an Atlanta location that doesn’t seem to have cute name, but is moving quickly. The Post piece says employees at the Cumberland Mall store in Atlanta were the first Apple store workers to file for recognition with the NLRB. They will also be the first to vote on the issue - and soon. A piece from The Verge says Apple Cumberland Mall employees “have reached an agreement with the company to hold a union election on [2 June].” Voting will run through 4 June, according to the report.