The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union is urging a public rally on May 27, 2026, at Patriot Plaza in Towson, Maryland, accusing Apple of discriminatory treatment after it announced plans to close its unionized Apple Towso
For nearly half a mile, the tension will be visible before anyone even walks up to the doors.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union—known as the Machinists’ Union—has announced a public solidarity rally for May 27. 2026. protesting Apple’s decision to close Apple Towson Town Center. The rally is set to begin at 11 a.m. Eastern at Patriot Plaza, 400 E. Washington Ave., Towson, Md., and the union says it will stream live on the Machinists’ Union’s Facebook page.
The union is framing the protest as a matter of accountability for the workers who would be displaced. In its announcement, it said the event will demand support for the nearly 90 IAM Local 4538 members facing job loss.
“[Elected] officials, labor allies, and community leaders will hold a #DoRightApple public solidarity rally on Wednesday, May 27,” the union said, tying the gathering directly to what it describes as Apple’s treatment of its workforce.
Apple’s closure decision is not isolated to Towson. The company said it would close the Apple Towson store along with two others in June 2026. citing “changes in the shopping malls where they are based.” In its statement when the closures were announced. Apple pointed to “the departure of several retailers and declining conditions at Trumbull Mall. the Shops at North County. and Towson Town Center. ” adding that it had “made the difficult decision to close our stores at these locations.”.
What makes Towson different, the union argues, is that it is the only unionized location among Apple’s first-wave closures. Apple Towson was described in the announcement as the first Apple Store to unionize.
The IAM is claiming discrimination because unionized employees are being treated differently than staff in non-union stores. Apple has said employees from the other locations can continue in their jobs at other Apple Store locations. For the Towson store. Apple said those staff are “eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.”.
The union says the collective bargaining agreement does not contain any clause that would prohibit Apple from relocating its staff—an argument that cuts directly against Apple’s position on how displaced workers would be handled.
The dispute doesn’t start with this announcement. The Machinists’ Union said it has previously filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Apple with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It also states that the NLRB has been successful in accusing Apple of illegal union-busting activities.
The May 27 rally will be held just over half a mile away from the store, a short distance that underscored the immediacy of what the union is asking the public to witness.
Under Apple’s timeline, the closures connected to mall changes are scheduled for June 2026. For now. the union is leaning on public pressure—starting with a specific day. a specific time. and a specific address—while insisting the real issue is not only closure. but how union members are being treated when stores shut down.
Apple Towson IAM Local 4538 unionized Apple store store closure May 27 2026 rally Patriot Plaza collective bargaining agreement NLRB unfair labor practice