The NLRB found that Apple violated national labor law when high-level executives interfered with labor organizing at retail stores in New York City and Atlanta. The agency also found that Apple illegally interfered with the rights of workers to form unions, which could prompt the company to face further penalties.
Ashley Gjøvik alleges that she was effectively forced out of her role at Apple in 2016 after complaining about sexual harassment and gender discrimination. She is now suing the company, claiming that they retaliated against her by denying her a promotion.
Apple’s policies create a hostile working environment for employees, which silences them and makes it difficult for them to speak up about their concerns. These policies also create an unsettling feeling of surveillance, as employees are afraid to engage in protected activity.
In the email from CEO Tim Cook, he expressed frustration about leaks to the media. He mentioned that this was causing problems for Apple and said that they needed to do something about it. This memo was sent shortly after an all hands meeting in September 2021 where reporters were live-tweeting.
Apple is taking steps to identify the people responsible for leaking confidential information about its upcoming product line, including details about a confidential meeting. CEO Tim Cook reportedly addressed employees in an email statement, reassuring them that the company is doing everything in its power to identify and punish those responsible.
The NLRB found that Apple’s restrictive work rules, handbook rules and confidentiality policies interfere with, restrain and coerce employees in the exercise of their right to protected concerted activity. These policies pose a threat to employee advocacy and free speech rights, which are essential for protecting workers’ rights. If you believe that you have been treated unfairly at your job, it is important to speak with an NLRB representative so that you can file a complaint.
Apple has long been a proponent of free speech and worker’s rights, but the company is now facing legal trouble from the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB found that Apple unlawfully suppressed workers’ rights to organize and Form unions, as well as engage in collective bargaining. The NLRB’s findings
Gjøvik’s whistleblowing, along with similar complaints from other Apple employees, have shone a light on the pervasive sexism and bullying that characterizes many workplaces. Despite Gjøvik’s efforts, Apple has not revoked Gobbler or taken other necessary steps to address the problem. These allegations show just how much work needs to be done in order to create an workplace that is free of discrimination and sexism.
Since the late 1990s, Apple has been pressuring its employees to upload their “faceprint data” to company servers in order to create a comprehensive record of who is working at Apple and where they have been. Though the practice was discontinued several years ago, there is growing concern that personal information pertaining to individual employees is still being stored and accessed by unknown individuals within the corporate structure.
Gjøvik said that she was “genuinely shocked” when she received a call from a member of Apple’s Human Resources team informing her that she had been fired. She believes that her firing was in retaliation for reporting the environmental hazards at her former workplace.
The NLRB has not yet made a decision regarding Gjøvik’s complaints that she was illegally fired in retaliation for speaking out about work conditions. Gjøvik is hoping that the board will find her case to be valid and order her former employer, NLMK Insurance Group, to rehire her. If the NLRB finds in Gjøvik’s favor, it could set a precedent for workers who speak out about workplace abuses.
