3 Apple Stores in U.S. Close Permanently Today
▼ Summary
– Apple is permanently closing three U.S. retail stores on June 20, including a unionized location in Towson, Maryland.
– Apple cited “declining conditions” at the shopping malls as the reason for the closures.
– The Towson store was the first Apple retail store in the U.S. to unionize, with employees represented by IAM CORE.
– Apple is offering transfers to non-unionized employees at the other two closing stores, but not to Towson union workers, citing the collective bargaining agreement.
– The union accuses Apple of union-busting, claiming the agreement requires equal treatment for all affected employees.
As planned, Apple is permanently shutting down three of its U.S. retail locations today, Saturday, June 20, including one that made history as the company’s first unionized store nationwide. The closures affect the Apple Store at Towson Town Center in Maryland, along with locations in Trumbull, Connecticut and North County, Missouri.
Apple first announced in April that it had made the “difficult decision” to close these stores, citing “declining conditions” at the shopping malls where they operate. The Towson Town Center location drew particular attention because its employees became Apple’s first U. S. retail workers to unionize back in 2022. They are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE), and they ratified a collective bargaining agreement with Apple in 2024.
The union is now voicing frustration that Apple is offering transfer opportunities to non-unionized employees at the Trumbull and North County stores, allowing them to move to nearby Apple locations, but is not extending the same option to unionized workers in Towson. Apple, however, maintains that it is simply following the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that the employees themselves approved.
According to Apple, the contract specifies that if a store closes, the company would transfer or rehire employees only if a new Apple Store opens within 50 miles of the Towson Town Center location. In any other scenario, the union negotiated for severance pay, which Apple says it is providing. The company also confirmed it has no current plans to open a new store in the area, though if it were to do so within 18 months of the agreement’s ratification, affected employees would have a right of first refusal for those roles.
IAM President Brian Bryant accused Apple of potential union busting, arguing that the collective bargaining agreement “requires equal treatment.” He said, “Apple workers in Towson voted to join the IAM, fought for and won a contract, and are now being punished for it. Apple signed a collective bargaining agreement that requires equal treatment. It is time for Apple to honor that agreement and do right by these workers before June 20.”
While Towson Town Center has undeniably been in decline, losing many major retailers in recent years, Apple’s exit from the mall is likely driven at least in part by those worsening conditions. Still, the situation could send a broader message to employees at other stores: joining a union does not always guarantee favorable outcomes. That dynamic may work to Apple’s advantage, given the company’s longstanding resistance to unionization efforts across its retail network.
(Source: MacRumors)