Apple is claiming that the Towson Apple Store employee contract prevents guaranteed employment at other locations, and the union has filed an unlawful discrimination suit about the matter.
On Monday, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union officially filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against Apple. The charge, which has been submitted to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleges that the company unlawfully discriminated against unionized workers at its Towson, Maryland retail location.
Towson, Maryland was the first unionized Apple retail location in the United States. It was also one of three locations Apple would be closing permanently in June.
While some thought the move could have been retaliatory, it's unlikely that was the case. Apple cited declining conditions and the loss of retailers as the primary reasons for closing.
The actual issue lies in a statement that Apple issued as part of the closure. In the statement, Apple said that Trumble and North County Apple Store employees were allowed to continue their jobs at other locations.
Towson employees, however, were "eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement." IAM and Towson employees maintain that no clause in the union contract would prohibit them from being shifted to new locations.
"This is about whether workers are treated fairly under the law or punished for exercising their rights," said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant.
"Apple is denying union-represented workers the same opportunities it is giving to others — and doing so because these workers chose to organize. That is discrimination, and it is exactly what federal labor law is designed to prevent."
As a result, the union is calling on Apple to reverse course and treat Towson workers fairly. It has called on Apple customers to mail letters to Apple's board of directors as an act of solidarity.
The Union speaks up
IAM held a Zoom meeting on Monday to garner support from the press and community. In attendance were not just IAM Union representatives and Towson employees, but members of other unions who showed up in solidarity.
The meeting went as expected. IAM's Associate General Counsel, Bill Haller, pointed out that no clause in the union contract suggested employees gave up their right to be transferred.
Apple, for its part, is allegedly pointing at a severance clause in the contract, saying that it negates the right to protected transfer. The union argues that the clause was situational and that the criteria for it to kick in had not been met.
A post shared on IAMs official Instagram page | Image credit: @machinistsunion
Workers from Apple Towson talked about how the closure affected them personally. They also discussed how difficult it was to apply at other stores.
Allegedly, most Towson employees are being rejected immediately before the interview process begins. For those who make it to the interview process, they're lumped into group interviews with people who have never worked at an Apple Store before.
Now, roughly 90 employees are left scrambling to find jobs before the store closure in June. But was that Apple's intention all along?
Closing a store versus busting a union
Union leadership and Towson employees believe that Apple closed the store as a retaliatory action. Apple had made it clear that it did not want to deal with the union, dragging its feet in negotiations whenever possible.
However, Apple is well within its right to close a store for nearly any reason. And, unfortunately, Apple Towson's closing isn't exactly uncalled for.
I've mentioned it before, but Apple, like many higher-end retailers, is slowly pulling out of the American mall. Nearly all of the new Apple Stores you see tend to be standalones in trendy shopping districts in cities.
The American Mall has been struggling for years, and Towson's no different. As of April 2026, the mall had a 26% vacancy rate.
When Apple decided to pull out of Towson, it didn't say that its traffic was down. It cited the state of the mall and other stores leaving.
And that's how it goes. Stores would rather cut their losses early than stick around and die a slow death.
Apple has the capital to close up shop in a mall that it doesn't deem sticking around for. Apple Towson's last renovation was quite some time ago; the store sports a relatively dated design.
Apple Towson
If Apple is concerned that the Towson Mall isn't going to be able to anchor stores, it wouldn't be keen on spending money to update it to a more modern design.
It could use that money to open up a store elsewhere or update an existing store that's doing well.
So was Apple's choice to close Towson an act of union busting or a signal that the company is choosing to shift operations elsewhere? Probably the latter, but knocking off one of its unionized stores is probably still a win for Apple.
It is, however, a loss for both Towson workers and the community they serve. There are no other Apple Stores in metro Baltimore, and making the trek to the next nearest one means an almost 30-mile, one-way trip.
One-sided affection
The one thing that was clear in the meeting: employees who work for Apple care about the company and Apple customers. Apple Towson employees enjoy working for Apple, they like their community, and they want to keep their jobs.
It's not surprising. Apple has made products that people are passionate about.
Apple has built its entire reputation on being for everyone. For grandkids and grandparents, musicians and music fanatics, established CEOs and those just starting out, regardless of ability.
It also stresses the importance of giving back to the community that makes it what it is. That is, unless you work for them, apparently.
During the meeting, IAM General Vice President for Eastern Territory David Sullivan told attendees, "Apple has forgotten that these are actually people they're dealing with."
Apple workers celebrate tentative agreement with Apple. Credit: IAMAW
But this isn't the first time that Towson has been on the receiving end of retaliatory action, either. In 2023, Apple rolled out plenty of new benefits to its employees, including priority scheduling and free Coursera classes, among others.
It told Apple Towson that it would not be getting those benefits. And then it told every other Apple Store that Towson would not be getting those benefits.
It made an example out of Apple Towson. Apple does not want its workers to unionize.
It's not as though this is a secret, either. Apple's own retail chief Deirdre O'Brien had released a video directly telling employees that unionization was a net negative, and encouraged workers to seek in-house solutions.
While closing Towson likely wasn't done to bust up the union, it's likely a benefit that did come into consideration.
Apple's response
On Monday night, Apple provided the following statement to AppleInsider:
"We strongly disagree with the claims made, and we will continue to abide by the agreement that was negotiated and agreed with the union. We look forward to presenting all of the facts to the NLRB."
The company says that Towson's union accepted specific rules for rehire under closure. If Apple were to open a new store within 50 miles, Towson would have right of refusal. Otherwise, Apple claims, the employees are to get severance pay only.
