Overview
- Apple lists the Towson Town Center store as closing on June 20 and says it will follow the terms of the collective bargaining agreement the workers negotiated with the IAM.
- The IAM filed an unfair labor practice charge in April arguing the company is treating Towson employees differently from staff at two other closing stores who were offered transfers.
- A 40-member letter from lawmakers, which was sent on Monday, urged Apple to reconsider the closure or provide equal transfer rights for nearly 100 Towson workers and warned the move appears to violate Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
- Maryland Governor Wes Moore publicly backed the workers and asked Apple to extend the same relocation opportunities it has given non-union employees at other closing locations.
- The dispute turns on a contract clause that limits transfers to within 50 miles versus the union’s claim of unequal treatment, and the outcome may be decided through NLRB proceedings or further litigation with implications for future Apple retail union campaigns.