Recently, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) received a new complaint accusing Apple’s management of restricting, monitoring, and interfering with workers’ rights through illegal rules, particularly concerning the use of Slack. The complaint states that Apple’s social media policies bar employees from creating new Slack channels and require them to report workplace issues to a manager or the designated “People Support” channel.
In response, Apple “strongly disagrees” with the allegations and emphasized its commitment to maintaining “a positive and inclusive workplace.” However, these new accusations follow a previous complaint earlier this month that accused Apple of forcing employees to sign illegal confidentiality, non-compete, and non-disclosure agreements.
The NLRB believes that Apple’s policies may constitute “overly broad” misconduct and social media regulations.
This latest complaint ties back to a nearly three-year-old case involving former Apple employee Janneke Parrish, who was fired in 2021 due to her employee and union activism. Parrish had previously accused Apple of sex and race discrimination and advocated for making remote work positions, created during the pandemic, permanent. She also pushed for the distribution of a pay equity survey.
Apple has repeatedly denied these accusations, stating that it respects employees’ rights to discuss working conditions, hours, and wages.
Currently, Apple will need to reach a settlement with the NLRB to resolve these issues, or it will face a hearing in February 2024, presided over by an administrative judge. The final decision will be reviewed by a five-member labor board and could be appealed in federal court. Parrish’s lawyer, Laurie Burgess, stated that they look forward to “holding Apple accountable at trial for implementing unlawful policies” and claimed that Parrish was wrongfully terminated for engaging in protected activities, such as calling out workplace gender discrimination.
The latest complaint calls for Parrish to be compensated for lost wages and other financial impacts from her firing, and for Apple to rescind its allegedly unlawful policies. A hearing date for the new allegations against Apple has yet to be set.
