Towson Apple Store Employees Look To Unionize

TOWSON, MD — Workers at a Towson Apple store are looking to form a union, following in the footsteps of their counterparts in Atlanta and New York.

The coronavirus pandemic made those "who work on the front lines kind of realize what they're worth," an eight-year employee of the Towson Apple store told The Washington Post.

Employees in the Atlanta store are the first Apple workers to file paperwork to form a union.

While the company has seen soaring profits, workers say they are not seeing them trickle down to those on the ground.

"Apple is a profoundly positive place to work, but we know that the company can better live up to their ideals," one of the Atlanta employees said in a statement through the Communications Workers of America.

The Atlanta store workers filed for a union election in April. Among the changes employees want to see is improvement in the scheduling system.

“We welcome the workers who are organizing at Apple and call on the company’s management to reject union busting tactics so that they can vote without interference or intimidation," said Ed Barlow, President of Communications Workers of America Local 3204 in Atlanta.

"These workers have been indispensable during the pandemic and the high level of service and support they provide is critical to Apple’s success," Barlow said. "By having a union voice, they will be able to negotiate lasting improvements to their working conditions."