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The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has accused Apple of illegally firing an employee who used Slack, which the company uses internally, for pushing workplace reforms.
According to the complaint, the Cupertino giant also allegedly forced a worker to delete a social media post.
The case dates back to 2021, when #AppleToo co-organizer Janneke Parrish complained about being fired for sharing what Apple deemed confidential information.
Apple accused of wrongly firing workers
Parish believes that the real reason Apple had fired her was a result of her activism, which included advocating for permanent remote work, distributing a pay equity survey and highlighting incidents of racial and gender discrimination within the company.
The NLRB’s complaint highlights Apple’s policies that prevent employees from creating Slack channels without a manager’s approval. However Parrish’s lawyer, Laurie Burgess, asserts that Apple extensively violated workers’ rights.
Burgess commented: “We look forward to holding Apple accountable at trial for implementing facially unlawful rules and terminating employees for engaging in the core protected activity of calling out gender discrimination and other civil rights violations that permeated the workplace.”
If the iPhone maker does not settle with the NLRB, an initial hearing is scheduled for February. Parrish is seeking financial losses stemming from her termination and for the company to change its policies.
Apple said: “We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace. We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters… We strongly disagree with these claims and will continue to share the facts at the hearing.”
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