AFRO American Newspapers
The Black Media Authority
By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
Unionized workers from the Towson Town Center Apple Store gathered in Patriot Plaza on May 27 to demand accountability and support from the technology company after it announced in April that the location would close this summer.
Referred to as the #DoRightApple rally, the demonstration brought together elected officials, community activists and leadership from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), which represents the workers. The Towson store was the first unionized Apple retailer in the U.S.
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Now, the nearly 90 workers are bracing for a financial fallout with the store scheduled to close on June 20.
“Four years ago, these brave men and women at Apple organized the first store in the Apple company here in Towson, Maryland. Two years later, after a long, hard fight, they got a contract in 2024,” said Hasan Solomon, political and legislative director for IAM. “Two years after that, Apple has record profits, and these workers are now getting pink slips. We’re not going to take it.”
While Apple is also closing retail locations in California and Connecticut, union leaders say Towson workers are being treated differently from their counterparts. According to IAM, employees at other stores have been offered automatic transfers, while many Towson workers are instead being terminated and required to reapply for open positions within the company.
IAM leaders say that disparity points to a broader concern: that Towson employees are being singled out because their store is unionized.
At the rally, Eric Brown, an employee of six years, spoke on how the looming closure has impacted him and his family.
“My oldest daughter is graduating high school next week and starting college in the fall. Right now, my partner is at home with our soon-to-be 3-year-old son and our son who was born less than two weeks ago,” said Brown. “Not knowing if I have a job, health insurance or a steady paycheck by the time I’m set to return from paternity leave has caused a great deal of stress and anxiety for my partner and myself.”
Brown started at the Towson store as a part-time technical specialist and eventually worked his way up to become a sales lead at the location. He said when the store unionized in 2024, he and his colleagues feared and prepared for potential backlash. Still, he noted that many believed the store’s strong customer base would shield them from consequences tied to their organizing.
Now, he said, he believes Apple is trying to “settle the score.”
“This to me is a clear attempt at union-busting. Available positions at the closest stores, such as Columbia and Annapolis, have been scarce, leading many of our members to battle each other in group interviews for just one or two jobs,” said Brown. “Some have gotten turn-down letters before they’ve even offered an opportunity to interview for the same roles they are already in. I can count on one hand how many of our members have been offered a job in this process. This feels like retaliation to many of us.”
IAM has filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Apple of discriminating against unionized workers at its Towson store. The union continues to demand transfers for all affected workers, the preservation of pay and benefits and equal treatment compared with employees at other closing Apple locations.
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Megan Sayles is a business reporter for The Baltimore Afro-American paper. Before this, Sayles interned with Baltimore Magazine, where she wrote feature stories about the city’s residents, nonprofits… More by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer
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The AFRO knows what it’s like to endure challenging times. John H. Murphy, Sr., a former enslaved man founded the AFRO in 1892 with $200 from his wife, Martha Howard Murphy. Together they created a platform to offer images and stories of hope to advance their community. The AFRO provides readers with good news about the Black community not otherwise found.
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