[US] Workers push back against Apple’s unionised store closure

Workers at the US’s first Apple store to unionise are pushing back against the tech giant's decision to shut it down by June, The Guardian reports.

They allege that Apple’s decision is motivated by “a cynical attempt to bust the union”.

On April 27, the union reportedly filed an unfair labour practice charge against Apple, alleging that unionised employees at the store in Towson, Maryland, are being denied transfer rights and other rights compared with workers at non-unionised stores. 

In addition, the union is alleging retaliation for being unionised.

According to the union, Apple claims the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation. In a statement, the union said that this claim is “simply false, and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union”.

Apple denied the claims in the charge. In an email, a spokesperson reportedly said, “We strongly disagree with the claims made, and we will continue to abide by the agreement that was negotiated and agreed with the union. We look forward to presenting all of the facts to the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board].”

The union is reportedly calling on Apple to reverse the closure decision and asking customers to support its effort. It has also urged people to contact the company’s board of directors.

“This is about whether workers are treated fairly under the law or punished for exercising their rights,” Brian Bryant - the international president of the IAM union - said in a statement. “Apple is denying union-represented workers the same opportunities it is giving to others – and doing so because these workers chose to organise. That is discrimination, and it is exactly what federal labour law is designed to prevent.”

In June 2022, nearly 90 workers at the store won their union election to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM Core).

Source: The Guardian

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

Workers at the US’s first Apple store to unionise are pushing back against the tech giant's decision to shut it down by June, The Guardian reports.

They allege that Apple’s decision is motivated by “a cynical attempt to bust the union”.

On April 27, the union reportedly filed an unfair labour practice charge against Apple, alleging that unionised employees at the store in Towson, Maryland, are being denied transfer rights and other rights compared with workers at non-unionised stores. 

In addition, the union is alleging retaliation for being unionised.

According to the union, Apple claims the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation. In a statement, the union said that this claim is “simply false, and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union”.

Apple denied the claims in the charge. In an email, a spokesperson reportedly said, “We strongly disagree with the claims made, and we will continue to abide by the agreement that was negotiated and agreed with the union. We look forward to presenting all of the facts to the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board].”

The union is reportedly calling on Apple to reverse the closure decision and asking customers to support its effort. It has also urged people to contact the company’s board of directors.

“This is about whether workers are treated fairly under the law or punished for exercising their rights,” Brian Bryant - the international president of the IAM union - said in a statement. “Apple is denying union-represented workers the same opportunities it is giving to others – and doing so because these workers chose to organise. That is discrimination, and it is exactly what federal labour law is designed to prevent.”

In June 2022, nearly 90 workers at the store won their union election to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM Core).

Source: The Guardian

(Links and quotes via original reporting)