Recently, many Apple Stores across the United States have been trying to fight the tech giant to unionize. Recently, workers in Towson, Maryland, became the first to win formal recognition for their union.
Out of 110 eligible employees, the union received 65 yes votes and 33 no votes.
This historic achievement comes right after Apple tried to dissuade its retail workers from unionizing. Last month, Apple’s VP, Deirdre O’Brien, sent a video to 58,000 retail staff, warning them about the perceived drawbacks of unionizing.
O’Brien also stated that it would be more difficult to make changes in stores with the union standing between Apple and its employees. However, many workers do not think that any change is possible without having a formally recognized union in place to protect their rights.
A store in Atlanta was supposed to be the first to hold a union election, but the organizers withdrew their request, claiming that Apple was leveraging illegal union-busting tactics, such as holding “captive audience” meetings.
At the time that they filed for an election, the Cumberland Mall store in Atlanta had 70% out of about 100 employees sign union authorization cards, demonstrating their interest in moving forward. Since then, Apple has raised retail pay to a minimum of $22 per hour, up from $20.
As the first Apple store to unionize, Towson may set a precedent to further the unionization of stores across the country.
