What happened
Tech conglomerate Apple reached a collective bargaining deal Saturday with unionized employees at its Towson, Maryland, store (pictured above). This marks the first labor agreement not just for an Apple retail store, but for any American employees of the company. The Towson employees joined the International Association of Machinists union in 2022 and have been working toward a union deal with Apple since then.
Who said what
Apple is "one of many prominent workplaces where unions have scored landmark U.S. organizing victories since the start of the pandemic," said Bloomberg. However, most of these unions "have yet to reach collective bargaining agreements." Apple officials said in a statement that they were engaging with the union "respectfully and in good faith."
What next?
The agreement remains subject to approval by the 85 unionized employees, who will vote on the deal Aug. 6. If ratified, the deal will ensure an average pay increase of 10%, along with several other labor benefits.
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