Apple has been pressed by lawmakers over the closure of its first consolidated store

A group of two U.S. senators and seven members of Congress have sent a letter to Tim Cook and John Ternus demanding answers about Apple’s planned closing of its Towson retail store. Here are the details.

A little context

At the beginning of last month, Apple announced it would close three US stores: Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, MD, Apple North County in Escondido, CA, and Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, CT.

The reason for these three decisions was about the same: they are located in shopping centers where other retailers have also left.

While the decision to close stores in California and Connecticut has gone largely unnoticed, the Maryland store is a completely different story.

Because Apple Towson Town Center was the first Apple Store to join in June 2022. For this reason, it was decided to close the store. caused controversy between Apple and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), specifically over whether to allow workers to be transferred to other Apple retail locations.

Briefly, while Apple says the negotiated union contract only calls for transfers within 50 miles of the Towson store, with the proposed layoffs otherwise, the IAM Union says Apple is discriminating against unionized workers by denying the same transfer opportunities afforded to workers at other closing stores.

The impasse has now reached Maryland’s congressional delegation, which has sent a letter to Tim Cook and John Ternus, pleading with Apple for answers about the Towson store closing.

The Maryland delegation enters

Yesterday, a group of nine US senators and members of Congress asked Apple CEO Tim Cook and the company’s next CEO, current Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus, to detail both the decision to close the Towson store and how it will support affected employees.

In addition to expressing concerns about the closure, they are seeking “a clearer understanding of the rationale behind this decision,” including which relocation alternatives were “meaningfully considered.”

They also ask:

1. What were the factors that led to the decision to close this venue, despite being operational, and were the alternatives to closure fully evaluated?
2. What analysis did Apple conduct to assess the economic and workforce impacts of closing the Towson location, particularly the 100 or so affected employees?
3. What special measures does Apple plan to take to support affected employees? Will Apple commit to providing displaced workers with an immediate transfer to another Apple store?

Finally, while acknowledging the “complex business considerations” involved in making such decisions, they ask Apple to “reconsider whether there are ways forward” that protect not only the jobs directly affected by the decision, but also its broader impact on the local economy.

Following a letter from the Maryland delegation to Apple, the IAM Association has been published the following statement:

The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) commends the Maryland congressional delegation led by U.S. Representative Johnny Olszewski and joined by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsbrooks, as well as U.S. Representatives Steny Hoyer, Jamie Raskin, Glenn McFran, Quel Yvette and Glenn McFran. Delaney is standing by and demanding accountability for working people following Apple’s decision to close its consolidated retail store at Towson Town Center in Towson, Md., effective June 20, 2026.

You can read the full letter below:

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