‘It feels like a betrayal’: anger as Apple to close US’s first unionized store

Workers at the first Apple store to unionize in the US are pushing back against the company’s decision to shut down the store by June, alleging the company’s decision is rooted in “a cynical attempt to bust the union”. On Monday, the union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Apple, alleging unionized employees at the store in Towson, Maryland, are being denied transfer rights and other rights compared with workers at non-unionized stores. The union is also alleging retaliation for being unionized. According to the union, Apple claims the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation, a claim the union says is “simply false, and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union” the union said in a statement . Apple denied the claims in the charge. “We strongly disagree with the claims made, and we will continue to abide by the agreement that was negotiated and agreed with the union. We look forward to presenting all of the facts to the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board],” a spokesperson said in an email. The union is calling on Apple to reverse the closure decision and calling on customers to support its effort. It has also urged people to contact the company’s board of directors. “This is about whether workers are treated fairly under the law or punished for exercising their rights,” Brian Bryant, the international president of the IAM union, said in a statement. …