Apple accused once more of interfering with employees’ makes an attempt to prepare. Credit score: Laurenz Heymann/Unsplash
The US Nationwide Labor Relations Board has obtained a brand new criticism, accusing Apple’s administration of limiting, monitoring, and interfering with employees’ rights by means of illegal guidelines concerning the usage of Slack.
The criticism filed with the NLRB prices that Apple’s social media insurance policies bar employees from creating new Slack channels, demanding that office considerations go to both a supervisor or a longtime “Individuals Assist” channel. The corporate stated in a press release that it “strongly disagrees” with the brand new claims, and is dedicated to sustaining “a optimistic and inclusive office.”
The brand new accusation follows on the heels of a criticism earlier in October that accused Apple of forcing staff to signal unlawful confidentiality, nondisclosure, and non-compete agreements. Now, the NLRB says Apple could also be imposing what the board calls “overly broad” misconduct and social media insurance policies.
What’s outdated is new once more
The newest case concerning interference in employees’ social media rights is an outgrowth from an almost three-year-old case by Janneke Parrish. She was fired by Apple in 2021 for her worker and union activism, which included her use of Slack and different social media shops.
Parrish has beforehand accused Apple of intercourse and race discrimination, and referred to as for permitting distant employee positions created throughout the COVID pandemic to turn out to be everlasting positions. She has additionally advocated for permission to distribute a pay fairness survey, amongst different complaints.
In response to the earlier complaints, Apple denied the accusations and stated it respects its staff rights to debate working situations, hours, and wages.
In all the continuing circumstances, Apple might want to attain a settlement with the NLRB that addresses its considerations, or face a listening to by an administrative decide in February. These selections can be reviewed by a five-member labor board, however may very well be appealed in federal courtroom, experiences Reuters.
“We stay up for holding Apple accountable at trial for implementing facially illegal guidelines,” stated Laurie Burgess, Parrish’s lawyer within the ongoing criticism. “and terminating staff for partaking within the core protected exercise of calling out gender discrimination and different civil rights violations that permeated the office.”
The brand new criticism requires Parrish to be reimbursed for misplaced revenue and different monetary impacts of her firing, and for Apple to rescind its allegedly illegal insurance policies. A date for a listening to to query Apple on the latest allegations has not but been set.