Retail employees at the Apple Store in Towson, Maryland, the first Apple employees in the country to unionize, have voted to authorize a strike over working schedules and pay.
No date for any potential walkout has been set.
The Towson store employees voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Coalition of Organized Retail Employees in 2022.
The union said Saturday that following a year of negotiations with Apple management, issues regarding work-life balance, unpredictable scheduling practices disrupting personal lives and wages failing to align with the area’s cost of living remain unresolved.
“This vote today is the first step in demonstrating our solidarity and sends a clear message to Apple. As discussions with Apple management continue, we remain committed to securing tangible improvements that benefit all employees,” the union said in a statement.
The union has been negotiating with Apple management since January 2023.
Apple said it would negotiate respectfully and in good faith. “We deeply value our team members and we’re proud to provide them with industry leading compensation and exceptional benefits,” Apple said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal.
IAM CORE represents about 100 employees at the Apple Store in Towson.
More than 270 Apple Stores in the U.S. have organized to date, according to the Journal, most of which have joined the Communications Workers of America. Workers at Apple’s retail store in Short Hills, New Jersey, this weekend voted against unionizing.
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