A majority of workers at an Apple store in the United States have chosen to create a union, a first for the tech giant, which has previously attempted to discourage unionization efforts.
According to a live tally televised Saturday by the government organization supervising the ballot, 65 workers at the Towson, Maryland shop voted in favor and 33 against.
After a campaign for unionization by a group of employees known as AppleCORE (Coalition of Organized Retail Employees), the vote was taken.
“We did it Towson! We won our union vote! Thanks to all who worked so hard and all who supported! Now we celebrate… Tomorrow we keep organizing,” AppleCORE sent out a tweet.
They want a vote in deciding on wages, working hours, and safety precautions.
Following the agency’s certification of the results, the shop’s employees, who have been voting since Wednesday, should join their own division of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
Robert Martinez Jr, president of the International Association of Machinists, praised the workers’ “courage.”
“They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election. I ask Apple CEO Tim Cook to respect the election results and fast-track a first contract for the dedicated IAM CORE Apple employees in Towson,” he said in a statement.
“This victory shows the growing demand for unions at Apple stores and different industries across our nation.”
It wasn’t the first time Apple employees attempted to form a union, but it was the first that succeeded in a vote.
Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s director of distribution and human resources, paid a visit to the store in May to speak with employees.
According to the audio obtained by Vice, O’Brien remarked, “I want to start out by saying it´s your right to join a union, but it´s equally your right not to join a union.”
“If you´re faced with that decision, I want to encourage you to consult a wide range of people and sources to understand what it could be like to work at Apple under a collective bargaining agreement.”
She claimed that having a middleman would make ties between Apple and its employees more difficult.
According to AFP, the Silicon Valley behemoth is “declining to comment” on the news.
To read our blog on “Atlanta’s Apple store became the first to file a petition for union elections,” click here.
