Apple reaches provisional agreement with the country’s first unionized store

Apple has reached a tentative agreement with its first unionized store in the country, the bargaining committee announced on Friday.

The announcement said that the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (CORE) of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) reached an agreement with Apple that will improve work-life balance, increase wages and help protect job security. The union said its Towson, Maryland, store members will vote on the tentative agreement on Aug. 6.

“From the beginning, IAM CORE’s mission has been to make Apple better for our employees, customers and communities,” the IAM CORE bargaining committee said in a statement. “By reaching a tentative agreement with Apple, we are giving our members a voice in their future and a strong first step toward additional earnings. Together, we can build on this success store after store and build on the power that IAM CORE has started here in Maryland.”

Employees at the Apple Store in Towson, Maryland voted to unionize in June 2022, making it the first Apple store to do so in the US. In May, employees voted to authorize a strike over working conditions.

IAM CORE represents about 85 employees at the Towson store.

The bargaining committee said the agreement includes scheduling improvements for part-time and full-time employees, average raises of 10% over the course of the contract, better job security with limits on hired employees and termination clause, and a fair disciplinary process it is clear.

“The true partnership between IAM workers, IAM CORE and Apple has led us to this historic moment,” IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan said in a statement.

“IAM District 4 Director Trade Representative Jay Wadleigh and others brought their knowledge, experience and tenacity to every day of these negotiations. We are extremely proud to be the first union to take on this fight for Apple workers,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to Apple for comment.

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