Towson Apple store earns historic win for workers with an organized labor union: "Long time coming"

BALTIMORE - In a historic move, the Apple store in Towson has become the first store in the nation to organize a labor union to get better pay and benefits for its workers.

"We've been bargaining for like 18 months," union organizer Kevin Gallagher said. "We won our union election  two years ago, the whole campaign started like three years ago, so it's really a long time coming."   

Workers at the Towson Town Center Apple Store plotted, planned and succeeded in their quest to get fair and equal treatment for Apple employees at its store in Baltimore County.

"By making our workplace more democratic, and by having the voice of the worker have more weight, it's going to result in an experience that is better both for our customers, but also for our employees and hopefully, ultimately for the company," Gallagher said.    

The key issues for Towson Apple workers were wages, job security and being replaced by seasonal or temporary workers, as well as generous severance pay. 

A win on these issues helped at least a dozen employees avoid termination over a new policy decision by Apple.

"Time and attendance and scheduling policy that required people to work a percentage of customer-facing hours that just weren't in line with the way the malls operate in a post-COVID world, and so because we were able to stand up and fight for them, they were able to keep their jobs."  

Organizers say they've heard from other Apple employees at stores across the country looking to also unionize. 

The hope is that in the next four years, most, if not all Apple stores, will create a union to protect its workers.