Apple Store workers in Maryland vote to authorize strike

Apple Store workers in Towson, Maryland, the first of the tech giant’s retail employees to unionize, made history again by voting late Saturday in favor of authorizing a strike. The union representing the workers said in a news release the vote ‘underscores the frustrations among workers regarding unresolved workplace issues.’ Employees at the store in Towson, a suburb of Baltimore, have been in contract negotiations with Apple management since last year over a number of issues, including the store’s ‘unpredictable’ scheduling practices and wages that don’t ‘align with the area’s cost of living.’ In response, Apple said in a statement that it will ’engage with the union representing our team in Towson respectfully and in good faith.’ The union at the Towson store has not disclosed what date members would strike. Meanwhile, another vote for a store to unionize failed this weekend. Apple employees at the Mall at Short Hills store in New Jersey voted against unionizing on Saturday. The union alleged Apple engaged in illegal union-busting activity and blamed the defeat on the company’s tactics. Labor unrest has embroiled Apple and its retail stores, compounding the number of issues facing the iPhone maker including regulatory scrutiny in Washington, sluggish sales in China, and an iPad ad that backfired. The National Labor Relations Board last week upheld a decision alleging union-busting tactics by Apple in New York City. The labor wave hitting Apple retail stores echoes the mass organizing that began at other influential companies in the United States, such as Starbucks and Amazon. As Apple grew to become the world’s first $3 trillion company, a tight labor market from the Covid-19 pandemic exposed labor conditions and inequalities facing workers in stores and warehouses.