Apple achieves initial union contract with retail employees

Apple has achieved a preliminary collective bargaining agreement with the first unionized company store in the nation.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, which represents the workers at a retail outlet in Maryland, revealed on Friday evening that they have struck a three-year agreement with the corporation that will boost wages by an average of 10% and provide additional perks to employees.

The deal needs to be ratified by approximately 85 workers at the outlet, situated in the Baltimore suburb of Towson. A vote is set for Aug. 6.

“By reaching a tentative agreement with Apple, we are empowering our members to have a say in their futures and taking a significant initial step towards further improvements,” stated the negotiating committee of the union. “Together, we can build on this success in outlet after outlet.”

Apple did not promptly respond to a request for feedback.

The arrangement was reached after employees at the outlet authorized a strike in May, stating that discussions with management for over a year had not produced “satisfactory outcomes.”

The Maryland outlet is one of just two unionized Apple establishments in the nation. Workers there voted in favor of the union in June 2022, a few months before employees at a second Apple location in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, unionized with the Communications Workers of America. The second outlet has not finalized a contract with the technology corporation.

Labor unions have achieved attention-grabbing electoral victories in recent years, including at an Amazon warehouse in New York City, a Chipotle outlet in Michigan, and numerous Starbucks outlets nationwide. However, many of them have not secured agreements.