Apple Store Workers in Maryland Vote to Authorize a First Strike Over Working Conditions

TOWSON, Md. – Workers at the first Apple Store to unionize have also now authorized a first strike against the tech giant’s retail operations.

Workers at the Apple Store in Towson, Maryland, voted Saturday night to authorize a strike, according to a statement from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Organized Retail Employees Coalition, which represents the workers.

No date has been set for the strike. The vote came after what the union called “more than a year of negotiations with Apple management that produced unsatisfactory results.”

According to the statement, workers are looking for changes to what they call “unpredictable” scheduling practices and wages that align with the local cost of living.

“We deeply value our team members and are proud to offer them industry-leading compensation and exceptional benefits,” Apple said in a statement provided by a spokesperson. “As always, we will respectfully engage with the union that represents our team at Towson. and in good faith.”

Store workers in suburban Baltimore voted by a nearly 2-to-1 margin to unionize in June 2022, joining a growing push in the U.S. retail, service and technology industries to organize for greater on-site protections. of work.