Apple workplace rules violate U.S. labor law, agency finds

1/2/2023 6:35

        Apple Inc maintains
        workplace policies that unlawfully discourage employees from
        discussing working conditions, a U.S. labor agency has found.
        
        The National Labor Relations Board will issue a complaint
        targeting the policies and claiming Apple executives made
        comments that stymied worker organizing unless the company
        settles first, an agency official said on Monday in an email
        reviewed by Reuters.
        
        The official had sent the email to Ashley Gjovik, a former
        Apple senior engineering manager who filed complaints against
        the company in 2021.
        
        The NLRB investigates charges filed by workers and unions
        and decides whether to issue formal complaints against
        companies. The agency can seek to strike down workplace policies
        and require employers to notify workers of legal violations.
        
        Apple did not respond to a request for comment. The company
        has said it takes worker complaints seriously and thoroughly
        investigates them.
        
        An NLRB spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request
        for comment.
        
        Gjovik in an email on Tuesday said she hoped the development
        will spur more Apple workers to speak up about working
        conditions and to organize.
        
        In her complaints, Gjovik said various Apple rules,
        including those relating to confidentiality and surveillance
        policies, deter employees from discussing issues such as pay
        equity and sex discrimination with each other and the media.
        
        Gjovik also cited a 2021 email from Apple Chief Executive
        Tim Cook that allegedly sought to stop workers from speaking to
        the press and said "people who leak confidential information do
        not belong here."
        
        Many tech companies have strict confidentiality policies
        designed to protect trade secrets.
        
        U.S. labor law prohibits policies that could discourage
        workers from exercising their right to band together to improve
        working conditions.
        
        Apple is facing several pending NLRB complaints, including
        one claiming the tech giant unlawfully required workers at an
        Atlanta retail store to attend anti-union meetings. Apple has
        denied wrongdoing.