A U.S. labor agency has discovered that Apple Inc. maintains workplace regulations that illegally prevent workers from raising concerns about their working circumstances.
Unless Apple settles first, the National Labor Relations Board will file a complaint alleging that the company’s practices and executive statements hindered employee organizing, according to an agency official’s email obtained by Reuters on Monday.
Ashley Gjovik, a former Apple senior engineering manager who complained against the business in 2021, received the email from the official.
The NLRB looks into complaints made by unions and employees and determines whether to file official complaints against businesses. The agency has the authority to challenge workplace regulations and mandate that companies alert staff to legal infractions.
A request for comment from Apple was ignored. The business has stated that it reviews worker concerns thoroughly and takes them seriously.
An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by an NLRB representative.
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In an email sent on Tuesday, Gjovik expressed her hope that the development will encourage more Apple employees to organize and speak out about their working circumstances.
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.
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