First Apple Store Union Election in the US Is Scheduled for June 2, Report Says

Apple Store employees in Atlanta will vote on whether to unionize.

Apple has agreed with Apple Store employees in Atlanta to schedule a union election on June 2, according to documents provided to The Verge. If the vote succeeds, the workers will be the first in the company to unionize.

The employees voting next month work at the Apple Store in Atlanta's Cumberland Mall. They were the first of the company's workers to file for an election in April, though workers at other Apple Store locations have had their own union drives, including in New York City's Grand Central Terminal and Towson Town Center in Maryland, according to The Verge.

Apple employees pushing for unionization posted a public letter of what they're seeking, including higher pay, better career development options and enforcement of health and safety protocols, according to The Verge.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other tech companies have seen an uptick in unionization efforts. Google employees began forming the Alphabet Workers Union in early 2021, though its 900-plus member roster represents under 1% of parent company Alphabet's total workforce. Those efforts spread to a group of contractors in Missouri who became the first Google Fiber workers to unionize back in March, signing up with AWU.

Workers in Amazon warehouses had several big union pushes in April. Those in a Staten Island, New York, location voted to become the first US workers at the company to successfully unionize, while workers in Alabama have seemingly failed to unionize, though hundreds of challenged ballots have left the final decision uncertain. Days ago, a separate Staten Island warehouse unionization vote failed.

Read more: Amazon's First Union Warehouse Signals Growing Worker Demands

Big tech companies have continued to resist unionization -- Amazon is seeking a revote for the unionized Staten Island warehouse -- but the continued efforts by the Apple retail employees suggest more collective bargaining to come.