WASHINGTON, D.C., June 1, 2026 — National pressure is continuing to build on Apple over its planned closure of the first unionized Apple retail store in the United States, as a new Congressional Progressive Caucus-led letter signed by 40 members of Congress urges the tech giant to reverse course and treat workers fairly at the company’s Towson, Md., location.
The letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and incoming CEO John Ternus–led by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas), U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.)–raises serious concerns that Apple’s planned June 20 closure of the Towson Town Center store is part of a broader union-busting effort targeting workers who organized with the IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) in 2022.
“In that context, it certainly appears that Apple has decided to retaliate against the workers at this location for forming a union and collectively bargain to secure their wages, hours, and working conditions,” the lawmakers wrote. “It also appears that Apple is trying to send a message to other stores who are in the process of unionizing or considering unionization that their efforts to collectively bargain will be met with resistance and retaliation.”
The lawmakers also reminded Apple of its obligations under federal labor law, writing that “these actions would qualify as unfair labor practices, which are illegal as violations of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.”
The letter notes that the approximately 90 Apple Towson workers are the only employees at a closing Apple retail store who are not being offered direct transfers to nearby stores and instead are being forced to reapply for positions. The IAM Union notes that the workers’ collective bargaining agreement requires union employees to receive treatment equal to non-union employees, making Apple’s actions especially alarming.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus outreach follows an earlier letter sent by members of the Maryland congressional delegation raising concerns over Apple’s planned closure of the Towson store, as well as an Unfair Labor Practice charge filed by the IAM Union alleging Apple is violating federal labor law and the workers’ collective bargaining agreement through its treatment of union employees during the closure process. Apple has not yet responded to the Maryland congressional delegation’s May 4 letter.
The IAM Union recently held a rally in Towson in support of Apple workers that featured local, state and national elected officials, as well as labor and community allies.
“Apple workers made history in Towson when they became the first Apple retail workers in the United States to win a union,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Now, instead of respecting those workers and bargaining rights, Apple appears determined to shut the store down and send a message to workers everywhere considering organizing. Congress is right to demand answers.”
The Congressional Progressive Caucus letter warns that the closure would leave these skilled workers unemployed while stripping Baltimore-area residents of critical access to Apple services and support. The Towson store is the only Apple retail location in the Baltimore County metro area accessible by public transit and serves many working-class residents, students, small businesses and communities of color.
“My oldest daughter starts college in the fall. My youngest daughter turns 3 this year. And my newborn son is sleeping at home right now while I’m trying to figure out what comes next. My coworkers are in similar positions, carrying families, mortgages, medical bills, and the quiet fear of watching a stable job disappear,” said Eric Brown, a Sales Lead at the Apple Store at Towson Town Center and a member of IAM Local 4538. “We’re not asking for charity. We’re asking Apple to do right by us and offer us the same transfer opportunities it extended to workers at its other closing stores.”
“This is about far more than one store,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “If one of the richest corporations on Earth can close a unionized workplace after workers successfully organized and won a contract, every working person in America should pay attention. The IAM Union will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with these workers and everyone fighting for dignity and a voice on the job.”
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) 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, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
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