A letter from 40 members of Congress presses Apple to keep its first unionized retail store in Towson open, calling the store “high-performing” and arguing a closure could violate Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. The union filed an unfair labor p
By the time the first letter was delivered, it had already become clear that Apple Towson wasn’t just a store location—it was a test case.
Now, more members of Congress are piling in with stronger language. A letter signed by 40 members says Apple Towson is a “high-performing” store with 100 technologically skilled workers, and it argues the company should not close it. The store is also Apple’s first unionized retail store.
Nine members had made the case before. This time, an additional 39 new members—and one returning member—have signed on, bringing the total to 40.
The letter goes beyond praise. It states outright that the closure is likely a violation of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. That claim lands as the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union has already filed an unfair labor practice charge against Apple in April.
The pressure is direct, but it stays broad. The letter does not spell out the specific way Apple allegedly violates Section 7. Instead, it presses Apple to change course in one of two ways.
First, it urges Apple to refrain from closing the store “during one of the most difficult economies in recent history.”
Second, if Apple proceeds with closing the store anyway, the letter demands equal treatment for employees. It calls for unionized employees to be transferred to other nearby Apple stores without needing to reapply—essentially asking that the treatment match what other closed stores’ workers receive.
That point collides with what Apple says it agreed to in the union contract.
Apple promised severance for the unionized workers, and Congress’s letter is framed against the idea that more should be done beyond what was written into the deal. The negotiated contract also includes first refusal rights for workers if Apple opens a new store within 50 miles of Towson.
But the union didn’t negotiate terms specifically covering relocation or additional benefits, the reporting notes—expecting them anyway because Apple employees generally receive them. Apple, however, says it will honor only the letter of the contract it negotiated.
Behind the legal language is an increasingly grim business reality around the Towson store. AppleInsider has verified that the area where Apple Towson operates has become a “ghost town.” Even if the store is “well-performing. ” the reporting says it sits in a place without high traffic and can’t carry the region by itself.
Other Apple Store closures in recent years have followed similar patterns: neglected malls and shopping centers, and a company shift toward standalone stores with more unique designs and offerings.
The next phase is likely a courtroom fight over intent and timing.
Towson may be Apple’s first unionized retail store, but the case will still come down to whether Apple can show it was closing for legitimate reasons—like underperformance—not as a push to weaken union organizing. Apple’s right to close a store, if it chooses to, remains part of the equation.
Deeper into that debate is a standard Apple set years ago about union membership and employee choice.
The issue employees are facing links back to comments made by Apple retail chief Deirdre O’Brien in 2022. O’Brien said. “It is your right to join a union — and it is equally your right not to join a union.” She also said. “And if you’re faced with that decision. I want to encourage you to consult a wide range of people and sources to make sure you understand what it could mean to work at Apple under a collective bargaining agreement.”.
O’Brien’s message at the time warned employees not to assume an outside organization has their best interests at heart. That concern is part of the friction now, particularly as the union faces repeated problems with negotiated contract terms.
Employees at other Apple Stores have been offered the chance to relocate to other locations. If the union didn’t secure written relocation terms for its members, the reporting suggests it may be hard to argue for additional benefits beyond the contract.
Apple, for its part, is expected to close the Towson store and move toward court over its decision. The court will have to decide whether Apple was actively trying to crush a union—or simply closing a store.
For employees, the deadline is already looming. The Towson store is set to close on June 20, and whatever the outcome of the legal fight, workers may need to start planning their next steps well before then.
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