Apple announces Towson retail store to close, union files unfair labor charge
By Andrea Criado, Contributing Writer
Apple announced in early April that it would be closing its Apple retail store at Towson Town Center, the first Apple store to unionize. Now, its union has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against the company over the closure.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union, known as IAM, represents the Towson unionized employees and filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Apple. It alleges that Apple unlawfully discriminated against the Towson store’s unionized workers, according to its press release.
“Apple is denying union-represented workers the same opportunities it is giving to others — and doing so because these workers chose to organize,” IAM Union International President Brian Bryant said in the press release. “That is discrimination, and it is exactly what federal labor law is designed to prevent.”
Apple said that they are closing the store due to the departure of several other retailers and declining conditions at the Towson Town Center. The store’s last day open will be June 20.
| Apple released the following statement about the store closure: “At Apple, we are constantly striving to deliver exceptional service and great experiences for our customers. As we continue investing to expand and enhance our retail stores and offerings worldwide, we remain deliberate about evaluating our existing locations to ensure that we can meet our customers’ needs in the best way. Following the departure of several retailers and declining conditions at Trumbull Mall, the Shops at North County, and Towson Town Center, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our stores at these locations. Our team members at Trumbull and North County will continue their roles at nearby Apple Retail stores. Towson employees will be eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement. We look forward to continuing to serve customers at nearby stores and on Apple.com, the Apple Store app, and at Apple Authorized Resellers and Service Providers throughout the states.” |
Eric Brown, the active chief steward at the Towson Apple location, said that employees found out about the closure Thursday, April 9 in a sudden meeting.
“It was very obvious that the company did not want Apple Towson to be unionized,” Brown said.
DeLand Adams, director of IAM, said that he thought it was convenient that the store will close before the workers’ collective bargaining agreement expires on Aug. 31, 2027.
The store’s 90 workers were told that they are eligible to apply for open roles at other Apple locations in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement. The other nearest Apple store is in Columbia, Maryland, and former Towson Apple store worker Kevin Gallagher said it disproportionately impacts the workers who use public transit.
“Our coworkers at Apple, we had so many people taking public transportation to be able to get to work,” Gallagher said, he’s also an organizer of the IAM union district four.
He also said the Towson store has a diverse workforce, so the closure will also negatively impact the minority communities in Baltimore.
“Our first demand is that Apple relocate to a new site in Baltimore County. Apple must honor its commitment to this community, rather than leave just because its workers, who are mostly Black and Brown, had the courage to unionize,” DeLand said, before the Unfair Labor Practice charge was filed. “Until a new site is found, Apple must allow all Towson store workers to transfer to other Apple stores outside the Baltimore area.”
Brown and Gallagher both said the goal is to make sure people are continuing to fight for the cause by collecting questions and concerns from the public while communicating the situation with the community. IAM made an active petition and letter sending service open for anyone to contribute to, asking for both the store to not be closed, and for respect towards the unionized workers.
“The reality is that the closing of the store affects more than just the workers, it affects the greater Baltimore community as well,” Gallagher said.
