Ahead of the closure of the unionized Apple Towson Town Center in Maryland, protesting workers have called out Apple for allegedly treating them worse than workers from other closing stores.
Towson was the first Apple Store to unionize, and that may or may not have been a factor in Apple including it in a trio of stores to be closed down. But what is certain is that Apple is treating this store’s employees differently from the others, and that is why there was a public rally on May 27, 2026.
According to Baltimore NBC affiliate WBAL, employees, local elected officials, and leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union, led the protest outside the County Courthouse.
In all, Apple is closing three stores, citing declining retail conditions in the malls they are in. As well as Towson, the stores are Apple North County, in Escondido, California, and Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut. Employees at the two non-union locations are automatically being offered transfers to other stores.
Towson staff, however, are not, and must apply for positions in other Apple Stores. Apple says that this is down to the terms of the contract negotiated with unions, which mandates severance on the closure of a store.
“Apple offers severance to all of their employees, not just what we negotiate,” Apple store worker Eric Brown told reporters. “So to say that it’s based on the severance is just false.”
Brown was the main employee who spoke at the rally, but he was joined by council members, and also representatives of the union. “[This] is retaliation plain and simple,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “Shame on you, Apple.”
Apple’s union-busting record
Apple has previously been accused of illegal anti-union practices, and head of retail Deirdre O’Brien has spoken out against unionization. She’s said that the relation between Apple and its store staff could be “fundamentally changed” if they unionize.
“And I worry about what it would mean to put another organization in the middle of our relationship,” she continued. “An organization that doesn’t have a deep understanding of Apple or our business, and most importantly, one that I do not believe shares our commitment to you.”
O’Brien took over as head of retail and people for Apple in 2019. “Deirdre deeply understands Apple’s unique culture and that people join Apple to do the best work of their lives,” said Tim Cook at the time. “She is a superb leader and I’m thrilled she will be bringing her experience and talent to this critical role.”
Yet for all that the role is critical, and especially all that O’Brien says about Apple’s commitment to its staff, in practice employees have been driven to unionize.
In 2022, it was the same Eric Brown who now spoke at the rally, who summarized the real relationship between Apple and its staff. “It’s like writing a letter to Santa,” he said. “Pretty much just like an empty slot that leads to a fire pit.”
Apple has said that “we strongly disagree” with the claims of discrimination. However, Apple has reportedly not responded to an open letter from local elected officials.
This story originally appeared on Appleinsider
