First Apple store to join the union, out of more than 270 in the US. It happened in Tonwson, in the Baltimore, Maryland area, where 65 employees voted for and 33 against. The trend towards organizing is therefore confirmed in retail stores, restaurants and tech companies, from Amazon to Starbuck, from the outdoor product chain Rei to the video game manufacturer Ravem Software.
Workers are uniting to demand higher wages, more benefits and to have more say in anti-pandemic measures. The union and organizing employees said they sent Apple CEO Tim Cook last month a notice that they were trying to organize a union. The statement states that the motivation that drives them is to seek “rights that we currently do not have.”
“I applaud the courage shown for this historic victory,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “They have made a huge sacrifice on behalf of thousands of Apple employees across the nation.” Martinez called on Apple to respect the election results and allow unionized employees to accelerate efforts to secure a contract at the Towson headquarters. “This victory demonstrates the growing demand for unions in Apple stores and various industries across the nation,” he said.
Also known as Iam, the union presents itself as one of the largest and most diverse industrial union organizations in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railways, transportation, healthcare, automotive and other sectors.
