A third Apple store is looking to unionize

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

According to a report from The Washington Post, employees at a third Apple store are trying to organize a vote on whether to unionize. Workers at the Apple store in Maryland say that they have received signatures from a majority of the employees that would likely be able to join a union, and are planning on filing with the National Labor Relations Board to schedule an election.

In a letter, the organizers say their union is called the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, and that they are not trying to create conflict with it. The workers want to gain access to the rights they don't have. The Washington Post reports that employees want a voice when it comes to determining their pay, hours and coronaviruses safety, but they don't specify which ones in the letter or press release. In the letter, the workers say they have the support of their coworkers and want Tim Cook to recognize them.

If Apple doesn't recognize the union, the next step is to petition the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election. Apple and the union will have to decide who will be eligible to join the union, and who will be able to vote, if the regulators agree that there has been enough interest. This can happen after an NLRB hearing.

On Tuesday, Apple agreed to schedule a union vote with workers at another store in Atalanta. Employees in New York are trying to get a union vote.

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First US Apple Store union election set for June 2nd in Atlanta

Retail workers are pushing back on Apple policies. A group known as Apple Together recently published a letter protesting the company's return to office plan for corporate employees, which will eventually implement a hybrid schedule of three days in the office and two days where employees can work remotely.

You can read the full letter here, which takes issue with Apple's claims about limiting options for remote work. Apple's insistence on keeping employees at offices will hurt diversity and make it hard to run into colleagues, according to its authors. The letter says that Apple's employees can make products that delight customers if they have experience doing so themselves. It asks Apple's management to be as flexible with remote work as its employees have been.

At this point, labor organization at Apple seems to be the work of several independent groups, rather than something driven by a singular force. Atlanta is organizing with the Communications Workers of America, New York with Workers United, and the workers in Maryland with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

The workers in New York are asking for a $30 minimum wage at the store, while Atlanta's pay demands are for transparency.