Apple has reached a tentative agreement with its first union shop in the U.S., located in Towson, Maryland. The deal, negotiated by the International Association of Machinists and the Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, promises an average 10 percent wage increase and additional benefits for three years for the store’s workers.

The proposed contract is awaiting approval from the Towson store’s approximately 85 workers, with a vote scheduled for Aug. 6. The union’s negotiating committee expressed optimism, seeing the agreement as a crucial first step toward further improvements in working conditions at Apple stores.

The development follows a strike authorization issued by Towson store workers in May, amid dissatisfaction with the progress of years-long negotiations with management.

The Towson location is one of two unionized Apple stores in the country. Workers voted to unionize in June 2022, and a second store in Oklahoma City followed suit later that year, joining the Communications Workers of America. The Oklahoma City store does not yet have a contract with Apple, however.

This successful tentative agreement at Apple is part of a broader trend of unionization efforts at major U.S. companies. In recent years, we’ve seen major union victories at an Amazon warehouse in New York City, a Chipotle store in Michigan, and numerous Starbucks locations across the country. Despite these victories, many newly unionized workplaces have struggled to finalize contracts, underscoring the ongoing challenges in the labor movement.

If approved, the Towson store contract could serve as a model for other Apple locations and possibly inspire further unionization efforts within the company. The Aug. 6 vote will determine whether this agreement sets a precedent for improved labor relations at Apple.

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