1. union 工会

Workers at an Apple store in Maryland have voted to unionise, forming the tech giant's first retail union in the United States.

1. unionise 成立工会
2. tech giant 科技巨头
3. retail 零售

The employees of the shop in Towson passed the measure 65-33, with about a dozen abstentions.

1. measure 衡量标准
2. abstention [əbˈstenʃn] 弃权

After the result came in, the group tweeted: "Now we celebrate… tomorrow we keep organising."

1. come in （信息）传来；（报告或电话）接收到
2. tweet 发推文
3. keep doing 继续/保持…

It is the third Apple store to launch a union drive this year, but the first to successfully hold a vote.

1. launch a drive 发起一场…运动
2. hold a vote on sth 对…进行投票表决

The new Apple Core union - short for the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees - penned an open letter to Apple in May, saying its bid was "about us as workers gaining access to rights that we do not currently have", but that it did not want to "go against or create conflict with our management".

1. （be）short for …的简称
2. coalition [ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃn] 联合会
3. pen 写
4. bid 请求；目标
5. gain access to 有获得…的途径/权利
6. go against sth 违背；违反
7. conflict [ˈkənˈflɪkt] 冲突、矛盾

Other Apple stores in Atlanta and New York, have also made moves toward unionisation. Staff in Atlanta, however, have delayed their planned ballot, with the union involved - the Communications Workers of America - alleging anti-union activity by the company.

1. make moves towards 就…采取行动
2. ballot [ˈbælət] 投票
3. involved 涉及的；参与的；相关的
4. allege [əˈledʒ] 宣称；(未提出证据)断言，指称，声称

Unions are less common in the US than in many European countries, but are still protected in law. Forming one involves either the company voluntarily recognising a union, or workers gathering signatures from at least 30% of employees so that the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) can hold a formal election.

1. involve 需要
2. either or 要么要么
3. voluntarily 自愿地
4. recognise 承认
5. signature 签名
6. so that 以便；因此

News outlets have alleged that Apple has hired a law firm known for its union expertise, and collated "talking points" for its management teams to dissuade employees from signing up to one.

1. news outlet 权威通讯社；大型新闻机构
2. known for 因…出名
3. expertise [ˌekspɜːrˈtiːz] 专业知识；专长；专门知识；专门技能
4. collate [kəˈleɪt] 整理；核对，校勘
5. dissuade（persuade）sb from doing 说服某人不做…
6. sign up to sth 报名

In April, Motherboard released an audio recording of retail vice president Deirdre O'Brien telling employees that while she recognised the right to join a union, "it's equally your right not to join a union".

1. release [rɪˈliːs]公布；发布
2. audio recording 录音
3. while 尽管

"I'm worried about what it would mean to put another organization in the middle of our relationship, an organization that does not have a deep understanding of Apple or our business," the released audio says.

1. have a deep understanding of sth 对…有深入的了解