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WASHINGTON, D.C., June 4, 2026 — Apple (AAPL) continues to feel national political heat even as the tech giant’s stock has risen nearly 15% in 2026.
Fifty-four members of the Congressional Labor Caucus, led by Co-Chairs and Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), and Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), are calling on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to conduct a thorough investigation into Apple’s planned June 20 closure of its unionized Towson, Md., retail store, citing concerns that the company may be treating union workers differently than employees at other closing locations.
The lawmakers specifically pointed to Apple’s differing treatment of employees at three stores slated for closure.
“The Towson, Maryland location was the first Apple store in the country to unionize and secure a negotiated collective bargaining agreement with the company,” the letter to NLRB General Counsel Crystal Carey states. “We are alarmed that the company is making efforts to relocate employees at stores that have non-bargaining unit workers, while denying those same benefits to unionized locations.”
Carey formerly worked for Morgan Lewis, one of the largest management-side law firms that currently represents corporations known for violating workers’ rights, including Amazon, SpaceX, Apple and Tesla.
The Towson Apple Store became the first Apple retail location in the United States to successfully unionize in 2022 and later secured a negotiated collective bargaining agreement with the company in August 2024. Apple recently announced plans to close the Towson location alongside stores in Trumbull, Conn., and Escondido, Calif.
In their closing request to the NLRB, lawmakers wrote: “Accordingly, we respectfully call on the NLRB to thoroughly investigate alleged practices, reach a timely resolution to this issue, ensure that workers’ rights and benefits are protected, and, if violations are identified, provide robust enforcement of labor law to make workers whole.”
Workers at the Towson store, represented by IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) Local 4538, have not been offered the same relocation opportunities being provided to employees at the non-union stores. Instead, they have been told to reapply for positions elsewhere within the company. The IAM Union has alleged that Apple’s actions violate the workers’ collective bargaining agreement and has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the NLRB.
Apple Towson workers and IAM Union representatives were present on Capitol Hill today for a hearing examining the policies and priorities of the NLRB, where lawmakers discussed the agency’s role in protecting workers’ rights and enforcing federal labor law.
The Congressional Labor Caucus letter is the latest in a growing series of actions supporting Apple Towson workers. It follows a recent Congressional Progressive Caucus letter signed by 40 members of Congress, a separate letter from the Maryland congressional delegation, public support from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and a community rally in Towson that brought together elected officials, labor leaders, and local residents.
“The IAM Union thanks Reps. Pocan, Dingell, Norcross, Horsford, and the members of the Congressional Labor Caucus for standing with workers and demanding accountability,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “The facts here are deeply troubling. Apple is closing the first unionized Apple retail store in America while denying those workers opportunities being offered to employees at non-union locations. If one of the richest corporations in the world believes it can treat workers differently because they exercised their legal right to form a union, every working person in America should be paying attention. We appreciate the Congressional Labor Caucus for calling on the NLRB to fully investigate these allegations and ensure these workers receive the protections guaranteed under federal law.”
“The workers at Towson made history by organizing the first unionized Apple retail store in the country and negotiating a contract that guarantees equal treatment,” said IAM Union Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “Now they are being told they must reapply for jobs while workers at non-union stores are being offered relocation opportunities. That is a serious concern and one that deserves immediate scrutiny. We are grateful to the Congressional Labor Caucus for recognizing what is at stake and urging the NLRB to move quickly to protect workers’ rights and hold Apple accountable if violations occurred.”
The IAM Union will continue supporting Apple Towson workers as they fight for equal treatment, respect, and the enforcement of the rights guaranteed under federal labor law and their collective bargaining agreement.
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) represents approximately 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across North America.
