Apple workers at Maryland store vote to unionize, a first for the U.S.

(Reuters) – Apple Inc workers in Maryland voted on Saturday to join a union, becoming the first retail employees of the tech giant to unionize in the United States.

More than 100 workers in Towson near Baltimore “have overwhelmingly voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers,” the union said on its website.

The local workers, forming the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, “have the support of a solid majority of our coworkers,” they wrote in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

“This is something we do not to go against or create conflict with our management,” they wrote.

An Apple spokesperson, responding to Reuters request for comment, said by email the company had “nothing to add at this time.”

Unionization efforts are gaining momentum at some large U.S. corporations, including Amazon.com Inc and Starbucks Corp.

Apple workers in Atlanta who were seeking to unionize withdrew their request last month, claiming intimidation.

Some current and former Apple workers last year began criticizing the company’s working conditions online, using the hashtag #AppleToo.

(Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)