Apple reaches tentative agreement with first unionized store in the country

Apple reached a tentative agreement with its first unionized store in the country, the negotiating committee announced on Friday.

The announcement said that the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ (IAM) Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (CORE) reached an agreement with Apple that will improve work-life balance, increase pay and help protect job security. The union said that its members at the store in Towson, Md. will vote on the tentative agreement on Aug. 6.  

“From the beginning, IAM CORE’s mission has been to improve Apple for our employees, customers and communities,” the IAM CORE negotiating committee said in a statement. “By reaching a tentative agreement with Apple, we are giving our members a voice in their futures and a strong first step toward further gains. Together, we can build on this success in store after store and grow the power IAM CORE has started here in Maryland.”

The Apple Store employees in Towson, Md. voted to unionize in June 2022, making it the first Apple store to do so in the U.S. In May, the employees voted to authorize a strike over the working conditions.

IAM CORE represents about 85 employees at the store in Towson.

The negotiating committee said the agreement includes scheduling improvements for part-time and full-time employees, average raises of 10 percent throughout the contract, better job security with limits on contracted employees and a severance clause, and a fair and clear disciplinary process.

“The true partnership between the IAM, IAM CORE and Apple workers has led us to this historic moment,” IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan said in a statement.

 “IAM District 4 Directing Business Representative Jay Wadleigh and others have brought their knowledge, experience and tenacity to every day of these negotiations. We’re extremely proud to be the first union to take on this fight for Apple workers,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to Apple for comment.