A US national labour agency is investigating two charges against Apple. In a break with the tech giant’s usual secretive culture, the latest chapter of worker activism at Apple is bringing in the US National Labor Relations Board to investigate labour law complaints, The Mac Observer reports.
According to records on the labour agency’s website, the charges were filed on August 26 and September 1. The National Labor Relations Board has not commented on the labour law complaints, however, the employees who filed the complaints have come forward.
The first charge reportedly came from Ashley Gjovik, a senior engineering programme manager at Apple. Speaking to Reuters, Ms Gjovik said her complaint centres around harassment by a manager, increases in unfavourable work, and reduction of responsibilities. Ms Gjovik contends that this all happened as retaliation for her complaints about sexism at Apple.
Apple software engineer Cher Scarlett filed the September 1 charge, alleging that Apple “engaged in coercive and suppression of activity that has enabled the abuse and harassment of organisers of protected concerted activity”. Ms Scarlett became well known for initiating a survey investigating wage equity problems at Apple. She is also one of the main organisers of the #AppleToo movement.
Apple employees - in common with many other Silicon Valley workers - typically shun publicity. Tech companies have a culture of keeping everything within their walls tightly under wraps, to avoid leaks. Recently that privacy curtain has been ripped down with current and former Apple employees criticising many aspects of working for the tech leader.
The employees’ labour law complaints include discrimination, retaliation, abuse and pay equity issues within Apple. Under US labour law employees have the protected right to openly discuss those topics but evidently, the protection doesn’t go far enough. Cupertino has taken measures to end such conversations, including blocking surveys of Apple employees and forbidding a Slack channel to discuss the pay equity issues.
The National Labor Relations Board investigate all charges it receives and, if it finds they have merit, the agency will prosecute Apple.
Source: The Mac Observer
(Links via original reporting)
A US national labour agency is investigating two charges against Apple. In a break with the tech giant’s usual secretive culture, the latest chapter of worker activism at Apple is bringing in the US National Labor Relations Board to investigate labour law complaints, The Mac Observer reports.
According to records on the labour agency’s website, the charges were filed on August 26 and September 1. The National Labor Relations Board has not commented on the labour law complaints, however, the employees who filed the complaints have come forward.
The first charge reportedly came from Ashley Gjovik, a senior engineering programme manager at Apple. Speaking to Reuters, Ms Gjovik said her complaint centres around harassment by a manager, increases in unfavourable work, and reduction of responsibilities. Ms Gjovik contends that this all happened as retaliation for her complaints about sexism at Apple.
Apple software engineer Cher Scarlett filed the September 1 charge, alleging that Apple “engaged in coercive and suppression of activity that has enabled the abuse and harassment of organisers of protected concerted activity”. Ms Scarlett became well known for initiating a survey investigating wage equity problems at Apple. She is also one of the main organisers of the #AppleToo movement.
Apple employees - in common with many other Silicon Valley workers - typically shun publicity. Tech companies have a culture of keeping everything within their walls tightly under wraps, to avoid leaks. Recently that privacy curtain has been ripped down with current and former Apple employees criticising many aspects of working for the tech leader.
The employees’ labour law complaints include discrimination, retaliation, abuse and pay equity issues within Apple. Under US labour law employees have the protected right to openly discuss those topics but evidently, the protection doesn’t go far enough. Cupertino has taken measures to end such conversations, including blocking surveys of Apple employees and forbidding a Slack channel to discuss the pay equity issues.
The National Labor Relations Board investigate all charges it receives and, if it finds they have merit, the agency will prosecute Apple.
Source: The Mac Observer
(Links via original reporting)