Towson, MD – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ (IAM) Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) has reached a tentative agreement with Apple that improves work-life balance, raises pay and helps protect job security. Workers at the Towson, Md., Apple retail store, the first in the country to unionize, will vote on the tentative agreement on Aug. 6.
“From the beginning, IAM CORE’s mission has been to improve Apple for our employees, customers and communities,” said the IAM CORE Negotiating Committee. “By reaching a tentative agreement with Apple, we are giving our members a voice in their futures and a strong first step toward further gains. Together, we can build on this success in store after store and grow the power IAM CORE has started here in Maryland.”
Highlights of the tentative three-year agreement include:
– Work-Life Balance: Scheduling improvements with protections for both current and part time members.
– Pay Increases: Average raises of 10% over the life of the contract and increases in starting pay for 80% of job classifications.
– Job Security: Limits on contracted employees and a severance clause.
– Transparency: A fair and clear disciplinary process with protections and accountability.
The agreement maintains all current benefits and includes an agreement to bargain over any future additions.
“The true partnership between the IAM, IAM CORE and Apple workers has led us to this historic moment,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “IAM District 4 Directing Business Representative Jay Wadleigh and others have brought their knowledge, experience and tenacity to every day of these negotiations. We’re extremely proud to be the first union to take on this fight for Apple workers.”
IAM CORE represents approximately 85 employees at Apple’s retail store in Towson, Md. IAM CORE members, who in June 2022 became the first Apple retail store to organize into a union in the United States, had been negotiating with Apple management since January 2023. In May 2024, IAM CORE members voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike sanction against Apple as management continued to stall negotiations.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.