Photo: ANP
The majority of Apple Store employees in the United States voted to form a union. This is the first time that employees of the US tech company, which has long thwarted such moves, have united.
Of the 110 store employees in Townson, Maryland, 65 voted for and 33 against. The count was broadcast live by the federal agency that oversaw the vote. The employees want to join a union called the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
A group of employees called AppleCORE (Apple’s Coalition of Organized Retail Employees) campaigned for the creation of a union. They demand a say in wages, working hours, and safety measures.
The decision in Townson could lead to workers at other Apple Stores in the United States joining a union. The labor movement has been trying to get Apple and other big tech companies to unite for some time, but so far without much success. At the beginning of April, employees of one of the Amazon warehouses in New York agreed to form a union, the first for the group in the United States. However, Amazon requested that the result be voided and a second vote be taken.
Apple declined to comment on the Townson vote.
