Three Apple Stores in U.S. Are Permanently Closing Today

[MacRumors]

As previously announced, Apple is moving forward with permanently closing three of its retail stores in the U.S. today, including a unionized location.

The locations that are closing on the evening of Saturday, June 20:

• Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut
• Apple North County in Escondido, California
• Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, Maryland

In April, Apple said it made the "difficult decision" to close the stores due to "declining conditions" at the shopping malls in which they are located.

Notably, the staff at the Towson Town Center location became Apple's first retail employees in the U.S. to unionize in 2022. They belong to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE), and they signed a collective bargaining agreement with Apple in 2024.

Apple Towson Town Center​

The union and the store's employees have been protesting the planned closure, and some politicians in Maryland have voiced their support.

The union is upset that Apple is allowing non-unionized employees at the Trumbull and North County stores to transfer to nearby locations, but not extending this offer to unionized employees at the Towson location. For its part, Apple said it is simply honoring the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that the employees agreed to.

According to Apple, the contract states that in the event of a store closure, Apple would transfer or rehire employees if the company opened a new store within 50 miles of the current location at Towson Town Center. In any other circumstance, the union negotiated for employees to receive severance, which is being provided.

Apple said it has no current plans to open a new store in the area, but if it were to do so within 18 months after the collective bargaining agreement was ratified, the affected employees would have the right of first refusal.

Nevertheless, IAM has accused Apple of potential union busting and said that the agreement "requires equal treatment."

"Apple workers in Towson voted to join the IAM, fought for and won a contract, and are now being punished for it," said IAM President Brian Bryant. "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."

Towson Town Center is genuinely in a state of decline and has lost many other major retailers in recent years, so it is very likely that Apple is exiting the shopping mall at least partly due to the worsening conditions. Nevertheless, the situation might lead employees at other stores to worry that joining a union does not always work out, and that could be advantageous to Apple given that the company has discouraged unionization.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Three Apple Stores in U.S. Are Permanently Closing Today

 

[WU27f1xcCs]

The union is upset that Apple is allowing non-unionised employees at the Trumbull and North County stores to transfer to nearby locations, but not extending this offer to unionised employees at the Towson location.

For its part, Apple said it is simply honouring the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that the employees agreed to.

Lol, lmao even

 

[DougiePhresh]

So, the Union wants ‘equal treatment’ when that favors them, but they want Apple to adhere to the contract when that is in the Union’s favor. That is not how contracts work 🙄

 

[PowerButton]

Unions in retail are challenging to justify. Higher labor costs and very slow performance management make it hard to compete considering labor is one of their larger expenses. In old days when the workplace was dangerous unions served a purpose, now 🤷‍♂️

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Sounds like that Union needs better contract writers...maybe someone who can cover all the common scenarios for their workers?

 

[vgmrm]

It may be that a lack of union experience led to a bad agreement with the company at the time.
It seems the workers gave the company complete power to get rid of them, and Apple has a habit of getting rid of anything its executives don't like.

 

[HQuest]

Union for me, suffering for thee. But thank you for your financial deductions, er, contributions to our cause.

In all fairness, it doesn't take much to figure out if not all professions and/or professionals are members of unions, there might be a very good reason to explain why unions not always work...

 

[j_in_tx]

Malls are dying

 

[Padre_Pio]

Not sure everyone, especially those not from the United States, knows what "declining conditions" at malls means. It's not just because people don't go there anymore.

 

[t0rqx]

The Apple Stores are packed they said...

 

[Padre_Pio]

Union for me, suffering for thee. But thank you for your financial deductions, er, contributions to our cause.

In all fairness, it doesn't take much to figure out if not all professions and/or professionals are members of unions, there might be a very good reason to explain why unions not always work...

True unions died in this country many years ago.

 

[DJM1740]

Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it.

 

[triumvirate]

“Declining conditions” — very nice way of putting what is happening all over the country. But never say why!

 

[FatLouie]

"Apple workers in Towson voted to join the IAM, fought for and won a contract, and are now being punished for it," said IAM President Brian Bryant. "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."

Typical Union B.S. ... they almost always make out like they are the victims. When you have a union, there is no 'equal treatment'; working and employment conditions are negotiated. Apple is meeting the conditions of the contract that the Union negotiated for, and the union members signed.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I know this is going to turn into a pro-union / anti-union discussion as always. But regardless of that, one thing sticks out to me:

Somebody did not write a very good contract. Whether Apple intentionally had that clause put in there and then used it at the first opportunity, or a union negotiator thought that sounded like a good idea....it wasn't. It sounds poorly written.

IF Apple closes this store and then IF they open another store within 50 miles? Surely they could have come up with something better than that.

 

[svish]

With low footfall, it might not be beneficial for Apple to continue operating the store. Sadly this can happen where malls are having less people visiting them.

 

[Wasp14]

Unions in retail are challenging to justify. Higher labor costs and very slow performance management make it hard to compete considering labor is one of their larger expenses. In old days when the workplace was dangerous unions served a purpose, now 🤷‍♂️

Completely agree with this take. Not every job needs a union, which certain people find hard to believe. Can pretty much guarantee they thought that clause would mean their store wouldn't be closed since they didn't agree to be transferred and it completely backfired.

 

[FatLouie]

I know this is going to turn into a pro-union / anti-union discussion as always. But regardless of that, one thing sticks out to me:

Somebody did not write a very good contract. Whether Apple intentionally had that clause put in there and then used it at the first opportunity, or a union negotiator thought that sounded like a good idea....it wasn't. It sounds poorly written.

IF Apple closes this store and then IF they open another store within 50 miles? Surely they could have come up with something better than that.

It will turn into pro-union / anti-union because MR mentioned it in the article. Had that not been mentioned, this thread would probably take a different direction.

I have been a union member, and you are right: that contract does not appear to have been negotiated wisely. It may be that the union negotiators did not expect Apple to close the store, so to get their union foot in the door, they softened their demands.

 

[CarAnalogy]

With low footfall, it might not be beneficial for Apple to continue operating the store. Sadly this can happen where malls are having less people visiting them.

It will turn into pro-union / anti-union because MR mentioned it in the article. Had that not been mentioned, this thread would probably take a different direction.

I have been a union member, and you are right: that contract does not appear to have been negotiated wisely. It may be that the union negotiators did not expect Apple to close the store, so to get their union foot in the door, they softened their demands.

Exactly. I remember when this store first unionized, that this exact situation seemed to be something they were already aware of.

Which is why I'm surprised all around. Surely the union and those workers knew this was likely. This was the main thing they wanted protection from.

Yet it happened the way it was always going to anyway.

 

[spyguy10709]

It will turn into pro-union / anti-union because MR mentioned it in the article. Had that not been mentioned, this thread would probably take a different direction.

I have been a union member, and you are right: that contract does not appear to have been negotiated wisely. It may be that the union negotiators did not expect Apple to close the store, so to get their union foot in the door, they softened their demands.

“There is no war in Ba Sing Se”

This would be a very real issue whether the blog reported on it or not.

And closed stores means lost jobs, regardless of union status. It’s a sad day for Apple Retail.

Knowing this was effectively union busting, by the world’s wealthiest company? It’s just a greedy move, end of debate.

 

[spyguy10709]

Not sure everyone, especially those not from the United States, knows what "declining conditions" at malls means. It's not just because people don't go there anymore.

Why don’t you explain it to us, then? 😄 what are you trying to say, Padre?

 

[FatLouie]

Exactly. I remember when this store first unionized, that this exact situation seemed to be something they were already aware of.

Which is why I'm surprised all around. Surely the union and those workers knew this was likely. This was the main thing they wanted protection from.

Yet it happened the way it was always going to anyway.

I retired from a unionized company. A few contract negotiations back, they gave away 'job security' for people hired after a certain date. Meaning, the company could tap you on the shoulder on Friday afternoon and tell you not to return on Monday morning. If there is no job security, then is there a need for the union.

I was not a member of the union at that time, but I was shocked the union did this to the membership.

 

[FatLouie]

Unions are not inherently bad. Judging from the picture in the article, the Union is playing its usual shame game and has convinced the membership they are being treated unfairly, getting no respect, and Apple is a big, old bad boy.

Well, I can promise you this. Had Apple done anything against the contract, the employee and the shop steward would have waved it in Apple's face, claiming Apple had violated it. Yet, in this situation regarding the closing...Apple is following the contract, and the Union is not happy.

This is not about union busting, which no one can prove, an accusation that can only be claimed and projected about; this is about a contract that is being followed by Apple.

 

[whitby]

Classic case of you cannot eat your cake and have it (and I am aware that we often mistakenly reverse the order of the ‘eat’ and ‘have’ in this saying, but I thought I would put a stake in the ground for apparently the original way it was said and makes more sense 😎).

 

[spyguy10709]

This is not about union busting, which no one can prove, an accusation that can only be claimed and projected about; this is about a contract that is being followed by Apple.

so I guess no one can prove that it ISN’T union busting, then, either, hm?

The world doesn’t work that way, Louie.

You don’t just get to say “no one can prove” easily observed things.