Workers at Apple’s first unionized retail store (in Towson, Maryland) began collectively bargaining with management on Wednesday, reports CNN. The worker group, based out of a mall near Baltimore, is organized with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union.
Risa Lieberwitz, a professor of labor and employment law at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, told CNN that “there’s a lot at stake” for Apple employees at this and other stores as the negotiations commence. “Other Apple workers will be watching this,” she said. “Other workers in the tech industry will be watching this.”
In November 2022, the Towson store a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after it was excluded from some benefits.I n October, Apple announced plans to offer employees additional funds for education and new health care features in some states. However, unionized employees at the Towson, Maryland Apple retail store apparently didn’t receive these benefits.
Towson workers must negotiate benefits with Apple through the union. As noted by MacRumors at the time, Apple’s head of retail, Deirdre O’Brien, warned employees about such situations in anti-union messaging sent out in May.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today