Apple Store Workers in Oklahoma City Vote to Authorize Strike

Apple Inc. store workers in Oklahoma City have given union leaders permission to call a strike if talks with the company remain stalled.

The late Sunday vote, at one of two unionized Apple Stores in the US, sets the stage for a walkout in the next few weeks if the two sides can’t reach a first contract.

“A majority of the workers voted in favor of the strike and are ready to withhold their essential labor if Apple continues its pattern of delays at the bargaining table during scheduled sessions today and in early September,” the Communication Workers of America, which represents the workers, said in a statement Monday.

The Washington-Baltimore News Guild, which is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, represents employees of Bloomberg Law.

First contracts are important to both unions and management, as they set a company-wide floor for wages and benefits. If more stores unionize, Apple would likely have to agree to similar terms.

Union supporters in Oklahoma City won an election in October 2022. The only other unionized Apple store, represented by the International Association of Machinists in Towson, Md., reached a collective bargaining agreement July 26, more than two years after workers voted to unionize.

Organized labor has otherwise struggled to gain traction in Apple’s retail arm, which has nearly 300 locations in the US. Unions say they’ve faced fierce pushback from Apple, and have struggled to overcome worker loyalty to the brand.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.