Apple is under fresh congressional pressure over its plan to close the Towson Town Center store in Maryland, with 40 members of Congress now urging the company to reconsider a move they say could amount to retaliation against the first Apple Store in the United States to unionize.
Congressional lawmakers press Apple to rethink the Towson closure
In early April, Apple said the Apple Towson Town Center location in Towson, Maryland, was one of three retail stores slated to close in June. The company attributed the decision to “the departure of several retailers and declining conditions” at the shopping centers where the stores are located.
The Towson store has outsized significance inside Apple’s retail network. In 2022, employees there voted 65-33 to join the IAM Union, making it the first Apple Store in the U.S. to unionize. Since then, the location has become a key reference point in the broader debate over labor organizing in Apple’s retail division.
After Apple announced the closure, the IAM Union quickly objected, accusing the company of retaliation against unionized employees. A central point of disagreement has been how Apple is handling transfer opportunities for Towson workers. The union says Apple is denying those employees the broader relocation options that are available to staff at non-union stores. Apple, by contrast, says the union agreement only requires transfers within 50 miles of the Towson store, with severance offered if employees cannot be placed elsewhere under that framework.
A few days after that dispute emerged, Maryland lawmakers sent Apple a letter seeking answers about the planned closure. Now the matter has escalated further, with Congress weighing in directly.
What the new letter says
According to AppleInsider, a letter sent today from 40 members of Congress asks Apple CEO Tim Cook and John Ternus, Apple’s current senior vice president of Hardware Engineering and its next CEO, to reconsider closing the store. The lawmakers say Apple should explore alternatives that would preserve the jobs of nearly 100 employees.
The letter frames the closure as part of a broader pattern. The members write that the move “appears to be just the latest move in a union-busting effort,” and say “it certainly appears that Apple has decided to retaliate against the workers at this location for forming a union and collectively bargaining to secure their wages, hours, and working conditions.”
They also warn that if that is what is happening, the company could be stepping into illegal territory. The lawmakers say such actions “would qualify as unfair labor practices.”
One passage from the letter reads:
This decision by Apple not only impacts these hard workers but also their families and communities. We urge Apple to fully explore alternative locations to protect these jobs. Should Apple not choose to reverse its decision to leave the Baltimore area, given the national ramifications of that choice and our legislative focus on policies that protect American workers, we strongly urge you to reconsider how you will fully support these employees, and assist them in transferring, just as other employees of closing stores are allowed to do.
The lawmakers also ask Apple to work with relevant federal and local Maryland officials to identify options that could sustain employment for the workers involved. Their request signals that the issue is no longer being treated as a routine retail shutdown, but as a labor and political flashpoint with possible implications beyond Maryland.
Why the Towson store matters
The Towson Town Center location is not just another store on Apple’s retail map. As the company’s first unionized U.S. store, it has carried symbolic weight for both labor advocates and Apple management. That makes any operational changes there especially sensitive, particularly when closures are announced at the same time workers are attempting to enforce or expand the rights they won through unionization.
For the IAM Union, the closure announcement raises the possibility that Apple is using a store shutdown to sidestep the practical effects of collective bargaining. The union’s criticism focuses on employee mobility and whether workers at the unionized store are receiving the same treatment as employees at non-union locations that close or reorganize.
Apple has maintained that the transfer policy in question is tied to the existing union agreement, which it says limits transfers to locations within 50 miles of Towson. If workers cannot be accommodated under that rule, the company says severance is offered instead. That disagreement is at the center of the labor dispute now drawing attention from lawmakers.
Timeline of the dispute
- 2022: Apple Towson Town Center becomes the first Apple Store in the U.S. to unionize, with a 65-33 vote in favor of joining the IAM Union.
- Early April 2026: Apple announces the Towson store will close in June, citing the departure of several retailers and declining conditions at the shopping center.
- After the announcement: The IAM Union accuses Apple of retaliation and disputes the company’s handling of transfer opportunities.
- A few days later: Maryland lawmakers send Apple a letter asking for answers and pressing the company to reconsider.
- Today: 40 members of Congress send a new letter urging Apple to preserve jobs and avoid what they describe as possible unfair labor practices.
Apple has not responded publicly to the new letter
As of now, Apple has not commented on the latest congressional appeal. The company’s Towson store page continues to show that the location is scheduled to close on June 20 at 8:00 p.m.
The timing adds urgency to the dispute. With the closure date approaching, workers face a narrow window in which Apple could reverse course, adjust its relocation approach, or proceed with shutting down the store as planned. For lawmakers, the concern is not only about one location, but about the message that a closure of a unionized store could send across the retail sector.
The issue also arrives amid wider scrutiny of labor relations at large technology companies, where store employees have increasingly turned to organizing in search of higher pay, more predictable schedules, and clearer workplace protections. Apple, in particular, has faced repeated attention because of the scale of its retail operation and the symbolic importance of the first unionized U.S. Apple Store.
For now, the question is whether congressional pressure changes anything. Apple has not said whether it will reconsider the Towson closure, offer additional transfer options, or engage in direct discussions with elected officials. But with 40 members of Congress now publicly urging a rethink, the dispute is likely to remain under a brighter spotlight in the days ahead.
Source: Original report
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Last Modified: July 7, 2026 at 9:22 pm
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