Employees at Apple retail store in New Jersey petition to unionize

Apple Short Hills, an Apple retail store in the upscale town of Short Hills, New Jersey, has petitioned to unionize, reports Bloomberg.

The store, located within a mall, has 104 employees that would be part of the union if the effort moves forward. The staff, represented by Communications Workers of America, filed its petition with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday.

Apple has been accused of fighting unionization efforts in the past. For example, in August 2022 Apple retail employees nationwide were invited to an FAQ-style meeting where store management attempted to answer questions on unionization and create an open environment to discuss unions. The goal, not surprisingly, was to discourage unionization. And in December 2023, Apple rejected the unionization efforts of its UK-based Apple Southampton location, prompting the staff to push for statutory trade union recognition without Apple’s approval.

However, Apple told Bloomberg that it offers “exceptional” benefits and competitive pay to its employees. From its statement: We have always paid our retail teams in the top tier of the market. And we provide exceptional and comprehensive benefits for all full- and part-time employees as a part of the overall support we provide to our valued team members.

Following the petition, workers at the store will need to vote on whether to join the union. If a majority decide to do so, the store will unionize. 

Stores in Atlanta and St. Louis had filed to unionize, but both dropped the vote, claiming intimidation from Apple. Apple Towson in Maryland and Apple Penn Square in Oklahoma City have successfully voted to unionize, but they’ve not yet reached a collective bargaining agreement with Apple.