11-21-2022 4:33am

APPLE BITES BACK AT

Unionized Towson, Maryland Apple Store Employees File Labor Board Complaint After Being Denied Benefits

The unionized workers at the Towson, Maryland Apple Store on recently filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after the employees did not receive some benefits Apple recently began offering to its non-union workers, reports Bloomberg.

Apple in October announced plans to offer retail employees additional funds for education and new healthcare features in some states. However, unionized employees at the Towson, Maryland Apple Store will not receive these benefits. Towson employees were informed that their union will need to negotiate benefits with Apple. Apple’s head of retail, Deirdre O’Brien, warned the store’s employees about such a possibility back in May.

In June, employees at the ‌Apple Store‌ in Towson, Maryland voted 65 for and 33 against joining the Machinists Union, despite Apple’s efforts to tamp down unionization efforts. The Towson store was the first Apple retail location to unionize.

Apple’s head of retail, Deirdre O’Brien, had warned employees about future negotiation issues ahead of their decision to form a union. “We have a relationship that is based on an open and collaborative and direct engagement,” O’Brien said in May. “Which I feel could fundamentally change if a store is represented by a union under a collective bargaining agreement.”

Apple’s decision to withhold perks from the Towson store is a move to dissuade other stores from unionizing. Other companies like Starbucks have also been pushing back on unionization efforts, also only provided benefits at non-union stores.

The Towson Apple Store employees are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.