The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) IAM Union representing Apple employees in Towson, Maryland is filing an Unfair Labor Practice charge [PDF] against Apple with the National Labor Relations Board.
The union is accusing Apple of unlawful discrimination against unionized workers. Earlier this month, Apple announced plans to close the Towson Apple Store alongside two other Apple locations in Connecticut and California. The Towson store was the first Apple retail location to unionize in the U.S. back in 2022.
As noted by MacRumors, with most store closures, employees are relocated automatically to nearby stores. However, Apple said the union rules at the Towson location prevented it from moving the workers to other stores. Apple instead said that Towson employees are “eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.”
In the lawsuit, the IAM has this to say: “On April 9, 2026, Apple announced the closure of its store located at the Towson Town Center, located at 825 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson, MD 21204. Since that date, it has denied Towson employees, who are represented by the IAM, from availing themselves of transfer rights and other opportunities provided to non-represented employees impacted by store closures at other locations. By these, and other actions taken in retaliation for protected activity under the Act, Apple has discriminated against IAM-represented workers in regard to their terms and conditions of employment in order to discourage them from exercising their rights under the Act.”
The union wants Apple to reverse its decision and give Towson workers the same opportunity to transfer to other retail locations.
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