Apple will permanently close three of its retail stores in the United States on the evening of Saturday, June 20, according to its website.
Locations that are closing:
In April, Apple said it made the “difficult decision” to close the stores due to “deteriorating conditions” in the malls in which they are located.
Notably, the Towson Town Center staff became the first Apple retail employees in the United States to unionize in 2022. They belong to the International Association of Machinists and the Aerospace Workers Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) and they signed a collective bargaining agreement with Apple in 2024.
The union and store employees protested the planned closure, and some Maryland lawmakers expressed support.
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The union is unhappy that Apple is allowing non-union employees at the Trumbull and North County stores to transfer to nearby locations, but is not extending that offer to union employees in Towson. For its part, Apple said it was simply honoring the terms of the collective bargaining agreement agreed to by employees.
According to Apple, the contract states that in the event of a store closure, Apple would transfer or rehire employees if the company opened a new store within 50 miles of the current downtown Towson location. In all other circumstances, the union has negotiated for employees to receive severance pay, which is paid.
Apple said it has no current plans to open a new store in the area, but if it does so within 18 months of ratifying the collective bargaining agreement, affected employees would receive a right of first refusal.
Nonetheless, IAM accused Apple of possible anti-union acts and said the agreement “requires equal treatment.”
“Apple workers in Towson voted to join the IAM, fought and won a contract, and are now being punished for it,” said IAM President Brian Bryant. “Apple signed a collective bargaining agreement that requires equal treatment. It’s time for Apple to honor that agreement and do what’s right by these workers before June 20.”
Downtown Towson is truly in decline and has lost many other major retailers in recent years. It is therefore very likely that Apple will leave the mall, at least in part, due to deteriorating conditions. Still, the situation could benefit Apple by warning employees at other stores that joining a union doesn’t always work. However, we may never know Apple’s true intentions behind its decision.
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