Labor board intensifies scrutiny on Apple's employee relations

The US National Labor Relations Board is again accusing Apple management of illegally deterring employee discussions of pay and bias issues, part of a general anti-union campaign by the iPhone maker.

In addition to a raft of ongoing complaints, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) general counsel said that Apple forced engineer Cher Scarlett to quit the company. She claims she faced pressure to leave after she attempted to post an online survey about pay, experience levels, and other Apple employee information.

The board also accuses Apple of barring workers from creating a channel in the workplace messaging app Slack to discuss pay inequities and performance incentives. Apple has rebutted the new complaint, the third time the NLRB amplified employee concerns in just the month of October.

"We strongly disagree with these claims and will continue to share the facts at the hearing," Apple said in a statement on the matter to Reuters. Scarlett's lawyer, Laurie Burgess, said her client was "delighted" to see the NLRB issue a complaint against Apple.

"[We] look forward to holding [Apple] accountable at trial for its extensive violations of workers' labor rights," she added. Apple has repeatedly said it strives to maintain a "positive and inclusive workplace" and takes employee complaints seriously.

Employee complaints against Apple pile up

In October, Apple was accused by the NLRB of forcing employees to sign illegal contracts and suppressing unionization efforts. It has previously been accused by other employees of supressing pay and bias discrimination discussions on Slack and other social media platforms.

In May, the labor board ruled that Apple illegally interrogated staff about union activities at the Apple World Trade Center store. It was also found to have restricted the distribution of union flyers.

Apple has only two retail outlets that have unionized among its 274 US stores. A recent unionization effort in Short Hills, NJ failed, according to advocates, because of Apple management's anti-union tactics.

A hearing will be held in June 2025 on the latest charges, involving an administrative law judge, who can issue a ruling for one side or the other. NLRB decisions can be challenged in federal court, but the agency itself cannot issue punative damages awards, or hold management accountable for violations.

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6 Comments

80025 182 comments · 14 Years

About 2 weeks ago

Wages and salaries are a private issue. Even in this tell-all-society, it's nobodys' business what another employee makes or does not make. Using company connectivity/hardware, and/or a company-specific app, for non-work related activities, is generally considered to be unacceptable, no matter where one is employed

brianus 170 comments · 18 Years

80025 said:

Wages and salaries are a private issue. Even in this tell-all-society, it's nobodys' business what another employee makes or does not make. Using company connectivity/hardware, and/or a company-specific app, for non-work related activities, is generally considered to be unacceptable, no matter where one is employed

lol it just wouldn’t be the AppleInsider forum without the same old takes from management lickspittles. Can’t really imagine what could be more work-related than pay…. the entire reason anyone works there.

StrangeDays 12959 comments · 8 Years

80025 said:

Wages and salaries are a private issue. Even in this tell-all-society, it's nobodys' business what another employee makes or does not make. Using company connectivity/hardware, and/or a company-specific app, for non-work related activities, is generally considered to be unacceptable, no matter where one is employed

Nonsense. The law in many states makes clear workers can talk about what they’re paid. It’s in their interest to do so, to ensure they aren’t being taken advantage of. Keeping this secret only benefits wealthy corporations, not the worker class.

One can very well argue that pay equity is work-related. But as for non-work discussion, you may be shocked to find most company have numerous Slack channels for any number of non-work topics. What an absurd claim.

godofbiscuitssf 100 comments · 2 Years

80025 said:

Wages and salaries are a private issue. Even in this tell-all-society, it's nobodys' business what another employee makes or does not make. Using company connectivity/hardware, and/or a company-specific app, for non-work related activities, is generally considered to be unacceptable, no matter where one is employed

Horrible take. And untrue.

beowulfschmidt 2348 comments · 12 Years

80025 said:

Wages and salaries are a private issue. Even in this tell-all-society, it's nobodys' business what another employee makes or does not make. Using company connectivity/hardware, and/or a company-specific app, for non-work related activities, is generally considered to be unacceptable, no matter where one is employed

It is a violation of federal labor law for an employer to forbid discussing wages with other employees. However, the law does NOT require that an employer to provide a forum for that discussion. From what I have read, I suspect that Apple is claiming that not allowing company resources, i.e. a Slack channel, to be used for that discussion is not illegal.

However, legal hasn't mattered much to either corporations or government agencies for quite some time now. All that matters is who appoints the judges who make the decisions.