Apple shuts down its first unionized store as part of retail downsizing
Apple will close three stores in June, including Towson, Maryland—the first U.S. store to unionize with IAM CORE; the union contract runs through 2027. Apple frames the closures as a response to declining mall traffic and a shift away from mall locations, while IAM contends the move is an attempt to bust the union. Employees at the two other closing stores (Escondido, CA and Trumbull, CT) will be reassigned to nearby locations, and the broader unionization effort has faced pushback in some markets.
