Apple illegally denied benefits to the first unionized store in the country, says National Labor Relations Board

• Apple improved its benefits to Apple Store employees nationwide last year.
• In June 2022, the Towson Apple Store became the first Apple Store in the country to unionize 
• The NLRB and the Towson union allege that Apple illegally denied these benefits to unionized workers.

The National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Apple on Wednesday, alleging that the company violated US labor law by withholding benefits from unionized workers at its Towson, Maryland, store, which became the first Apple Store in the country to unionize in June 2022.

The NLRB complaint comes about a year after the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), which represents the Towson workers, filed its own complaint.

The initial IAM complaint, filed November 2, 2022, alleges that Apple improved its health and education benefits for Apple Store workers nationwide the month prior but excluded the unionized Towson workers from the improvements.

The NLRB and the IAM both claim that Apple's motivation was the assistance unionized employees provided to other Apple Store workers attempting to unionize.

Kayla Blado, press secretary for the NLRB, said in an email press release that the complaint does not represent a final NLRB decision. Rather, it's the first step that enables its Regional Office to investigate the claims and seek a settlement.

"If the parties don't settle, there will be a hearing with an NLRB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) beginning February 20, 2024," she said. "The ALJ's decision can then be appealed to the Board and then to federal appeals court."

Representatives for Apple, the Towson Apple union, and the NLRB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.