Employees of the Apple store in Towson say the company is excluding them from certain benefits, claiming the company made a “calculated” move to discourage further unionization efforts. The employees voted 65-33 in June to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, making them the first Apple store employees in the country to unionize. Their concerns included compensation, fairness and COVID-19 safety. On Thursday, the union sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook that said the company has excluded them from receiving “certain educational and medical benefits offered to all other Apple employees.” Apple’s corporate communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
They formed the first Apple store union in the country. Now, employees say they’re barred from some benefits.
As marijuana laws shift, many employers are also rethinking their stances
After November’s elections, recreational marijuana could be legal in nearly half the country. The decisions in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota will come just a few weeks after the Biden administration said it would pardon thousands of people with federal felony convictions for simple marijuana possession. With the landscape around marijuana evolving across the nation — and coinciding with the rise of remote work that disperses a company’s talent across the nation — experts say employers need to stay abreast of marijuana law changes and update their policies to avoid running afoul of shifting laws. Employment law attorneys say many companies are softening their stance on marijuana or tweaking drug-testing policies.
Blaze Pizza to open three new locations in Maryland
Blaze Pizza, a fast-casual pizza chain that earned early backing from LeBron James, said Thursday it is opening three new locations in Prince George’s County. The Pasadena, California-based chain specializes in customizable made-to-order pizzas created in a brick oven. The three new locations will join four other Blaze restaurants already in Maryland — College Park, Laurel, Towson and Westminster. Kevyn Scott of Gome Restaurant Group is the franchisee of the new Prince George’s restaurants. The exact locations of the new restaurants were not revealed in an announcement from the chain. Scott also operates two Charleys Philly Steaks restaurants in Maryland. Ed Yancey, chief development officer at Blaze Pizza, said in a statement the company is looking to add qualified franchisees to continue growing the brand.
Vice President Kamala Harris fires up Baltimore Democrats while Republicans rally in Owings Mills
Maryland Democrats turned to one of the party’s biggest stars to rally the faithful in West Baltimore on Saturday: Vice President Kamala Harris. As hundreds of Democrats filled the Cahill Recreation Center to hear from the vice president, hundreds of Republicans gathered on a hotel lawn in Owings Mills for a “freedom rally” to boost their candidates. With 10 days until Election Day, both parties are kicking their get-out-the-vote efforts into high gear. Voting by mail and in-person early voting has already started in the state. The marquee race this year is a gubernatorial matchup between Democrat Wes Moore, who leads in polls and fundraising, and Republican Dan Cox. At both rallies, speakers warned of the dangers coming from the other side, and they stressed the importance of voting to preserve their values.
Photographer Devin Allen highlighted in ‘Impact of Images’ exhibit
Devin Allen admits that he occasionally behaved like a knucklehead, growing up in Baltimore. But he was not so irreverent as a tenth grader that he could see an image of Emmett Till’s open casket and not find it arresting. The story of the 14-year-old Black boy who was lynched in Mississippi became widely known because his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, asked a press photographer to document Emmett’s funeral. The horrifying 1955 photographs depicted tangible evidence of how violent racial hatred was plaguing the U.S., catalyzing the civil rights movement. “Back then, I was like, ‘Wow, that happened so long ago. It would never happen now,’” Allen said, recalling the first time a high school history teacher showed him the images.
Greater Baltimore Committee announces 2022 Mayor’s Business Recognition Award recipients
The Greater Baltimore Committee and the Baltimore Development Corporation Friday selected 12 businesses to receive the 2022 Mayor’s Business Recognition Award, which honors organizations that have demonstrated significant leadership and service to improve the quality of life in Baltimore. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott will be a featured speaker at the 48th annual event, scheduled for Dec. 14 at 11:30 a.m. The event will be held in-person for the first time since 2019 at Renaissance Hotel Baltimore. The annual awards are given for specific activities that have significantly benefited Baltimore. Examples of projects and activities this year’s award winners initiated include: hosting STEM events for future engineers; providing free internet access and other tech resources to families during the pandemic to assist with medical needs; and developing collaborative community efforts to support critical food distribution programs.
Three Baltimore high schools will pilot violence-intervention program
Three Baltimore high schools will pilot a violence-intervention program starting next spring, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Tuesday. School-based specialists will start to work with students, families and school administrators during the spring semester of the 2022-2023 school year to mediate conflicts and help young people develop problem-solving skills, according to a news release. Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School, Carver Vocational Technical High School and Digital Harbor High School were selected for the launch. Each school will employ three school-based violence interrupters who will be trained to mediate conflicts. A community-based organization will be tapped to oversee the program at each school, which will be run in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, and eight student ambassadors will help get it established.
Moore gets help from Democratic superstars as early voting approaches
With early voting in Maryland kicking off Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore is going into overdrive, calling on the highest levels of Democratic royalty to lend a hand. On Tuesday alone, Moore began airing a 30-second TV spot featuring former President Obama. He picked up the endorsement of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), a hero to gun control advocates. And he appeared at an online fundraiser with Hillary Clinton, discussing the topic of leadership. On Wednesday afternoon, Moore and the rest of the statewide Democratic ticket will appear with Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison and other party leaders at a get-out-the-vote rally at the University of Maryland campus in College Park. Moore’s GOP opponent, Del. Dan Cox (R-Frederick), used the recently released national report card on student test scores to blast COVID-19 mandates on Tuesday.
Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Democrat Heather Mizeur meet today in only scheduled debate of high-profile race
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, the only Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, meets Democratic challenger Heather Mizeur in Cecil County on Wednesday afternoon in the only scheduled debate of their high-profile race in the 1st Congressional District of Harford County and the Eastern Shore. Harris, 65, who is seeking a seventh term, and Mizeur, 49, a former state delegate and 2014 gubernatorial candidate, will debate for about an hour at Cecil College’s Milburn Stone Theater. They will be joined by Libertarian Party candidate Daniel Thibeault, 30. No other debates have been scheduled in the contest pitting Harris, who is loyal to Republican former President Donald Trump, against Mizeur, who has been endorsed by national progressive groups.
After E. coli contamination, Baltimore City residents to see 25% discount on September water bills starting this week
Beginning this week, water customers in Baltimore City will see a 25% break on their bills for September, Mayor Brandon Scott said Tuesday. The discount will apply to Baltimore residents’ September monthly bills, excluding the $5 Bay Restoration Fund fee. That fee funds wastewater treatment improvements that prevent pollution from leaking into the Chesapeake Bay. Scott first announced the discount in early September, after E. coli bacteria were detected in Baltimore’s water and a boil water advisory was issued Labor Day for a large swath of West Baltimore and part of Baltimore County. When the advisory was lifted, city officials advised residents to flush their pipes and water-using appliances as a precaution.