Unionized employees at the Apple store in the Towson Town Center voted “overwhelmingly” to ratify their first contract with the tech giant, the union said Tuesday night.
IAM International President Brian Bryant said in a statement that the contract “sets a new standard for Apple retail workers nationwide.”
The employees in Towson were the first in the United States to form a union of Apple store workers in 2022, and then in late June became the first in the country to reach a tentative contract agreement after protracted negotiations.
According to The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, the union that the employees organized with, the contract includes the following:
- Pay increases averaging 10% over the term of the contract
- An increase in starting pay for many job positions
- Scheduling protections for part-time and full-time employees
- A disciplinary process with “protections and accountability”
The contract also includes maintenance of current benefits and an agreement to bargain over future additions. The union declined to make a copy of the contract available Tuesday evening.
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Apple said the company has “always” paid retail staffers “in the top tier of the market,” and that all employees receive “exceptional benefits.”
“Throughout this process, we have bargained in good faith and are pleased to have an agreement that allows Towson team members to enjoy similar performance-based wage increases this year as last year, along with the same benefits our U.S. retail employees currently receive,” the spokesperson wrote.
The union said it represents about 85 workers at the retail store in Towson and the agreement has a term of three years. A union spokesperson said the contract was ratified with 96% approval.
