Apple store near Baltimore becomes third to start union bid

The Washington Post reported that employees at an Apple store in Maryland sent a letter to Tim Cook, the company's CEO. The Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, or AppleCore for short, is the third Apple retail outfit reported to be in the process of unionizing. One Apple store in Atlanta is scheduled to hold a union vote in June, and another location in New York City is collecting signatures. The Post reported earlier this year that a number of other Apple stores are quietly exploring a potential union campaign, but have yet to make their efforts public.

We think about the history of the company and how we have always been different because we have always thought differently. AppleCore's members wrote in the letter that they are asking you to pledge not to use your resources to engage in an anti-union campaign. The major anti-union law firm, Littler Mendelson, was contracted by Apple, which union organizers thought was a likely attempt to nip union efforts in the bud.

The group claims to have the support of 65 percent of eligible workers. A majority of workers need to support unionization in order for a campaign to be successful, even though a workplace only needs signatures from thirty percent of its employees. As with the other Apple stores which have gone public with their intentions to unionize, the workers of the Towson store cited a lack of flexibility in scheduling, concerns about covid safety, as well as stagnant pay. Apple has posted huge gains over the pandemic, even as the economy at large is in a potential recession.

An Apple spokesman responded to the letter. We offer strong compensation and benefits for full-time and part-time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits.

The National Labor Relations Board is about to receive paperwork from the store. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is a labor union that mostly represents the defense industry and is coordinating with employees at this specific store.