Apple won't challenge union vote at Maryland retail location

Apple reportedly does not intend to challenge a vote to unionize by employees at one of its retail stores in Maryland, and plans to bargain with workers at the store "in good faith."

Earlier in June, a majority of employees at the Towson Town Center Apple Store voted to form a union — becoming the first in the U.S. to hold a vote.

Apple does not intend to stand in the way to that unionization vote and will participate in the bargaining process "in good faith," a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters.

Workers at Apple Towson Town Center, which has become the first to vote to organize, were supported by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. They have yet to outline their terms, however.

The Apple Store is not the first in the U.S. to file to unionize. Previously, Apple Stores in New York and Atlanta, Georgia began organizing earlier in 2022.

Apple has been accused of union-busting tactics at those previous retail locations, including distributing anti-union materials and hiring well-known union-busting layers.

Workers at the Atlanta store cited intimidation tactics when they postponed a vote to unionize in late May.

The Communications Workers of America, which supported union drives in Atlanta and New York, filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Act accusing Apple of violating federal labor law

The Cupertino tech giant's HR and retail chief, Deirdre O'Brien, pushed back against union drives in May, stating that unions could "fundamentally" change the relationship between the company at staff. The same month, Apple also increased its retail starting pay to $22 per hour, likely as a way to get ahead of unionization pushes.