An Apple store in Towson, Maryland, USA. Towson (USA)/AFP Yonhap News
A labor union formed at an Apple Inc. store in Maryland, USA, has voted to authorize a strike.
According to CNN on the 12th, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) stated that approximately 100 employees at the Apple store in Towson, Maryland, overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike resolution the previous evening. However, the date of the strike has yet to be determined.
The union stated that “this vote sends a clear message to Apple, emphasizing unresolved workplace problems” and that “the main issues are concerns about work-life balance, unpredictable work schedule practices, and wages that do not reach the local price of living.”
The store became the first Apple store in the U.S. to unionize in June 2022, and employees have been negotiating with the company since January last year.
In this regard, an Apple spokesperson said, “We take pride in offering our team members the industry’s best compensation and benefits,” adding, “As always, we will communicate faithfully with the union representing our team in Towson.”
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that a vote on union formation at an Apple store in the Short Hills area of New Jersey failed after two days of voting on the 11th. The Communications Workers of America (CWA), which pushed for union formation at this store, reported Apple to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), claiming Apple’s efforts to obstruct the union’s formation.
Over the past few years, union formation has been promoted in dozens of Apple stores across the U.S. Still, according to Bloomberg, only two stores in Maryland and Oklahoma have successfully formed a union.
CNN pointed out that “the strike resolution has shaken Apple and its retail stores, further complicating several issues facing Apple, including regulatory investigations, sluggish sales in China, and backlash from the iPad advertisement.”
Apple was criticized for being “arrogant” and suspected of copying a 16-year-old LG advertisement in which a hydraulic press crushed objects symbolizing human creativity, such as sculptures, pianos, film cameras, and game consoles, and replacing them with a new iPad Pro. In response, Tor Myhren, vice president of Marketing Communications at Apple, apologized on the 9th.
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