Apple employees may go on strike at the first US store to unionize

• Workers at an Apple store in Towson, Maryland, have authorized a strike.

• Concerns include work-life balance, unpredictable schedules and salaries lower than the cost of living.

• This Apple store was the first to unionize in the US in June 2022.

Workers in one Litter store in Towson, Maryland – the first U.S. store to unionize – authorized a strike.

Employees voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of allowing a strike, the retail union said in a statement. declaration on Saturday.

The issues “include concerns about work-life balance, unpredictable scheduling practices that disrupt personal lives, and salaries that do not align with the cost of living in the region,” the statement said.

Workers voted to unionize in June 2022 and have been negotiating with Apple management since January 2023. Their previous proposals to Apple included more time off and the introduction of a tipping system. Saturday’s statement did not include information about what details the union is currently negotiating with Apple.

No date has been set for the strike, the union said.

Towson store employees organized as the Organized Retail Employee Coalition in 2022 when they voted to be represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

About 100 employees at Towson Apple stores belong to the union, which also represents 600,000 workers at companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and United Airlines.

Apple did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment sent outside normal business hours.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the technology giant said: “We deeply value our team members and are proud to offer them industry-leading compensation and exceptional benefits.”

The technology company is facing labor problems at its Maryland store and elsewhere.

Last year, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint on behalf of Towson workers, which alleged that Apple denied benefits to store workers.

Apple’s Towson store is one of two in the US to successfully unionize. A store in Oklahoma City joined the Communications Workers of America union in October 2022. An Apple store in New Jersey voted against unionization on Saturday.

Last week, the National Labor Review Board found that Apple illegally interrogated workers about pro-union activities in a New York City location. In December 2022, the NLRB said Apple violated labor laws at its Atlanta headquarters, where it interrogated workers and forced them to appear anti-union meetings, according to the NLRB.

Employees at other American retail giants at several stores have also unionized in recent years, including Starbucks It is Amazon. Employees in both companies have gone on strike in the past to protest unfair working conditions.

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