Apple Faces In-Store Labor Drive as Union Amps Up Pressure

Workers at an Apple Inc.store in Atlanta became the first in the U.S. to file for a union election Wednesday, setting up a battle between organized labor and a Silicon Valley titan.

The proposed union includes 107 workers at an Apple store in Cumberland Mall in northwest Atlanta. The group filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board Wednesday after it had collected signed cards of support from 70% of eligible employees, said Derrick Bowles, a Cumberland Apple store worker and member of the organizing committee.