Apple is facing heat for how it’s handling the closure of its Towson, Maryland, store. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union) has filed an unfair labour practice charge, claiming the company is punishing workers because they decided to unionize.
The Towson location made history as the first unionized Apple retail store in the U.S., but the union says that’s exactly why Apple is treating them differently. While staff at two other non-union stores closing nearby were reportedly given the chance to transfer, the 90 employees in Towson have been told they have to reapply for jobs like any other outside candidate.
“This is about whether workers are treated fairly under the law or punished for exercising their rights,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant on Monday, in an email received by iPhone in Canada. “Apple is denying union-represented workers the same opportunities it is giving to others — and doing so because these workers chose to organize.”
The union isn’t holding back, calling the move blatant retaliation. The Towson store is a major hub for the Baltimore area, and the union argues that ignoring the rights of these workers is a direct violation of federal law.
“That is discrimination, and it is exactly what federal labour law is designed to prevent,” Bryant added.
The IAM Union wants Apple to fix this and give the Towson team the same transfer options as everyone else. This whole situation is definitely putting Apple’s retail strategy under the microscope as it tries to navigate its first unionized workforce.
There are no Apple Stores in Canada that have unionized, and from what we’re seeing down in the U.S., it might stay that way up here.
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