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TOWSON, Md., June 2, 2026 — The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) applauded Maryland Gov. Wes Moore today for his statement supporting the approximately 90 members of IAM Local 4538 at the Towson Town Center Apple Store, which Apple has announced it will close June 20.
“The Towson Town Center Apple Store has been a retail anchor for the region since 2022,” said Gov. Moore. “It’s provided good-paying jobs, increased economic activity, and been an important localized service hub for the region. As the first unionized Apple retail store in the country and a strong-performing location, its workers proved that economic growth and workers’ rights go hand-in-hand. Now, the rug is being pulled out from underneath them. These Marylanders deserve the same transfer rights and opportunities afforded to other Apple employees, and we stand with them.”
IAM International President Brian Bryant praised Gov. Moore’s support and called on Apple to act before the store closure deadline.
“Governor Moore is saying what any fair-minded person can plainly see: Apple is treating its unionized workers in Towson differently than every other employee at a closing Apple store in this country,” said Bryant. “Apple workers in Towson voted to join the IAM, fought for and won a contract, and are now being punished for it. Apple signed a collective bargaining agreement that requires equal treatment. It is time for Apple to honor that agreement and do right by these workers before June 20.”
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.
IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan, whose territory includes the Towson store, called the fight a defining moment for the labor movement.
“Our members at the Apple store in Towson proved that organizing works. Our members built power, negotiated a contract, and created a model for Apple store workers everywhere,” said Sullivan. “Apple is now trying to make an example out of them. We will not allow that to happen. The IAM stands firmly with our members in Towson, and we are grateful to Governor Moore and every elected official who has refused to look away.”
Gov. Moore’s statement comes as pressure on Apple continues to build from elected officials at every level.
A new Congressional Progressive Caucus-led letter by 40 members of Congress urges the tech giant to reverse course and treat workers fairly at its 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.) raise 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 in 2022.
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 (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.
