Apple has permanently closed its retail location in Towson, Maryland, the first Apple Store in the United States to unionize, citing deteriorating conditions at the Towson Town Center mall where it was located. The closure, effective this week, comes four years after employees at the store voted to form a union affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, marking a significant milestone in the company’s labor relations.

The Towson store closure was announced in April alongside the shuttering of two other Apple stores that are not unionized. However, the union alleges that Apple is retaliating against Towson workers because of their union status. According to filings with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employees at the nonunion sites were offered transfers to nearby locations with relative ease, while Towson employees were required to apply for new positions through the standard hiring process without any preferential treatment. As a result, more than half of the roughly 70 unionized employees at Towson are expected to lose their jobs by Wednesday.

Apple maintains that it is complying with the collective bargaining agreement negotiated with the union in 2024. The company emphasized that the contract does not guarantee automatic transfer rights for workers affected by the closure, although it acknowledged offering transfers to employees at the other two closing stores. Apple strongly denied accusations of targeting union workers and said it remains committed to honoring the agreed-upon labor contract. The company also noted that multiple retailers had recently closed locations at Towson Town Center, contributing to the “declining conditions” cited for the decision.

The Towson employees’ unionization vote in June 2022 followed safety and workplace concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as longer-term dissatisfaction with workload and job quality amid Apple’s efforts to boost retail sales. The labor contract agreed upon in 2024 provided modest wage increases—approximately 10% over three years—and benefits comparable to those at nonunionized stores. It also introduced protections such as limits on the number of temporary workers, signaling a measure of job security previously unavailable to Apple retail staff.

Labor experts caution that the closure of a unionized store risks deterring organizing efforts at other Apple locations. Wilma Liebman, former chair of the NLRB, noted that while companies may legally close unionized outlets for economic reasons, closures motivated by a desire to suppress unionization are prohibited. She suggested that the disparity in transfer offers between union and nonunion employees could serve as evidence in legal challenges.

Towson employees seeking transfers to other Apple stores report difficulties securing new positions despite available jobs and ongoing hiring at those locations. Eric Brown, a sales lead and union steward at the Towson store, said many former coworkers have applied elsewhere but have not been rehired. “They clearly need help,” he said, referring to ongoing recruitment at nearby stores despite denying transfers to unionized staff.

The Towson store’s closure marks a significant moment in Apple’s evolving relationship with its retail workforce, with nearly 300 U.S. stores and unionization efforts underway or under consideration at several other locations, including another store in Oklahoma City that has unionized. The outcome of the Towson closure may influence both employee organizing initiatives and corporate responses in the years ahead.