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The Apple Store at Towson Town Center Mall: The union representing the store’s workers and Apple have reached a tentative labor agreement, the tech giant’s first U.S. labor contract.
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CNN
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Apple Inc. and the union representing retail workers at its Towson, Maryland, store agreed to a tentative labor agreement late Friday, the first of its kind in the U.S. to cover all of the tech giant’s U.S. employees, not just Apple Stores.
Towson Apple store employees Voted to join the International Union of Machinists They signed their first contract in June 2022 and have been looking for their first contract ever since. In May, they They voted to authorize the strike. Without a set deadline.
The agreement marks a significant milestone as it must be approved by a vote of the store’s 85 rank-and-file union members before it can take effect. Starbucks and AmazonEven though workers at these companies voted to join a union long before workers at the Apple store in Maryland, these companies have yet to reach an agreement for their workers.
Once a union is recognized by the National Labor Relations Board, the government agency that oversees labor relations at most U.S. companies, there aren’t many legal requirements forcing companies to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the new union. But recent studies have shown that the process can be lengthy. Bloomberg Law They found that the average time to reach a first deal is 465 days, or about 15 months, though in many cases it can take longer. Academic Research 2023 The survey found that 43% of new unions are still seeking their first contract two years after winning representation elections.
The machinists’ union said the Apple Store contract includes improved work schedules to improve work-life balance, a key issue in negotiations. The contract also includes job protections, such as guaranteed severance pay for laid-off workers and limits on contract workers, as well as a 10% wage increase over the three-year term of the contract.
“Our tentative agreement with Apple gives our members a say in their future and marks a strong first step towards further gains,” the union said in a statement, adding that it would now seek the right to represent retail workers in other stores.
“Together, we can build on this success, store by store, and expand the power (the union) began here in Maryland,” the union said.
Apple has about 270 There are stores in the United States, all owned by the company. Only one other store is in Oklahoma City. Voted to form a unionThe company has joined another union, the Communications Workers of America, and the tentative agreement does not apply to the store.
An Apple spokesperson declined to comment to CNN about this week’s tentative agreement, but in an earlier statement the company said, “We care deeply about our team members and are proud to offer them industry-leading compensation and excellent benefits.”
