Workers at an Apple (Cupertino, Calif.) store in Maryland’s Towson Town Center voted to unionize – 65 “yes” votes and 33 “no” votes, out of 110 eligible employees voting – reports The Verge. This was the first Apple store in the U.S. to hold a vote to unionize, although other locations have formed their own protests and brought these ideas to the table.
Organizers in Atlanta withdrew their petition to vote, which was scheduled to begin June 2. The election was withdrawn due to Apple’s “repeated violations of the National Labor Relations Act have made a free and fair election impossible,” according to The Communications Workers of America (CWA).
A group of employees who recently formed AppleCORE (Coalition of Organized Retail Employees) are behind organizing the vote at the Towson store. The group is specifically seeking expanded rights when it comes to pay, safety and hours. AppleCORE is associated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, an established union.
Apple has recently hired “anti-union” lawyers, and some store and corporate leaders are reportedly persuading employees into not wanting a union. The company has also been accused of union busting.
Currently, employees at the Apple Grand Central store in New York are collecting signatures in order to form a petition for a vote. There are also talks of organizing an Apple location in Louisville, Ky.