Apple is restricting employee discretion and social media use, the U.S. Labor Board says
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board accused Apple of interfering with workers’ rights to collectively advocate for better working conditions by restricting their use of social media and the messaging app Slack in the workplace, the agency said Friday.
The NLRB complaint, filed Thursday, accuses the iPhone maker of enforcing unlawful work rules around the acceptable use of Slack, illegally firing an employee who advocated for workplace changes on Slack, demanding another employee to delete a social media post and creating the impression that employees were being monitored via social media.
This is the second time this month that the NLRB has approached Apple with a complaint. Last week, the agency accused the company of requiring employees across the country to sign illegal confidentiality, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements and imposing overly broad misconduct and social media policies.
Apple said in a statement from a spokesperson on Friday that it is committed to maintaining “a positive and inclusive workplace” and takes employee complaints seriously.
“We strongly disagree with these allegations and will continue to share the facts at the hearing,” the company said.
In response to last week’s complaint, Apple denied wrongdoing and said it respects the rights of its employees to discuss wages, hours and working conditions.
If Apple does not settle with the NLRB, an administrative law judge will hold an initial hearing in the case in February. The judge’s decision can be reviewed by the five-member labor board, whose rulings can be appealed to federal court.
The new case stems from a complaint filed with the NLRB nearly three years ago by Janneke Parrish, who says Apple fired her in 2021 because she took a leading role in employee activism.
Parrish used Slack and public social media to advocate for permanent remote work, distribute a pay equity survey, detail alleged sex and racial discrimination at Apple and post open letters criticizing the company, according to the new complaint.
Slack, which allows employees to have group conversations, was rolled out at Apple several years ago and became increasingly popular as a discussion forum during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NLRB complaint says Apple has a policy that prohibits employees from creating new Slack channels without approval from managers. Messages about workplace concerns should be directed to a manager or a “People Support” group, according to the complaint.
Parrish’s attorney, Laurie Burgess, said in an email Friday that Apple has committed “extensive violations” of workers’ rights.
“We look forward to holding Apple accountable at trial for implementing apparently unlawful rules and firing employees for engaging in the core protected activity of exposing gender discrimination and other civil rights violations that permeate the workplace,” Burgess said.
The complaint seeks an order requiring Apple to rescind its allegedly unlawful policies and compensate Parrish for lost earnings and other financial consequences of her termination.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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