Apple has reached a tentative agreement on a collective bargaining contract with its first unionized retail store in the United States. The contract, announced by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, applies to employees at the Towson, Maryland store. This historic deal includes a pay increase of about 10% and other benefits over the next three years.
The agreement is subject to approval by the store’s roughly 85 employees, with a vote scheduled for August 6. The union’s negotiating committee expressed optimism about the agreement, stating, “By reaching a tentative agreement with Apple, we are giving our members a voice in their futures and a strong first step toward further gains.”
Apple has not commented on the agreement. The deal follows more than a year of negotiations, which included a strike authorization by the workers in May, highlighting their dissatisfaction with previous talks.
The Towson store is one of only two unionized Apple locations in the country, with the other being in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. However, the Oklahoma store has yet to secure a contract. This development is part of a broader trend of unionization efforts across the U.S., including notable successes at Amazon, Chipotle, and numerous Starbucks locations. Despite these victories, many unions are still working to secure contracts with their employers.
