NLRB accuses Apple of unlawfully restricting employee Slack and social media use

The National Labor Relations Board accused Apple of violating the rights of its workers to advocate for better working conditions. In the complaint seen by Reutersthe organization alleges that Apple illegally fired an employee who had used Slack to advocate for workplace changes at the company. Separately, the NLRB accused Apple of forcing another employee to delete social media posts.

The lawsuit stems from a 2021 complaint filed by #AppleToo editor Janneke Parrish. In October of that year, Apple fired Parrish for allegedly sharing confidential information, a claim he denies. According to the complaint, Parrish used Slack and social media to advocate for a permanent remote job.

She also shared open letters criticizing the tech giant, distributed a pay equity survey, and recounted incidents of gender and racial discrimination at Apple. According to the labor board, Apple policies prevent employees from creating Slack channels without getting approval from a manager. Instead, employees should direct their workplace concerns to management or to the “People Support” team the company maintains. An example of the kind of concerns some employees use Slack to voice can be seen in a 2021 tweet from former Apple employee Ashley Gjøvik.

“We look forward to holding Apple accountable at trial for using unconstitutional rules and terminating employees for engaging in the protected activity of reporting sexism and other civil rights violations that pervade the workplace,” Parrish’s attorney, Laurie Burgess, said in a statement. Reuters.

Apple did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment.

As long as Apple doesn’t settle with the agency, a preliminary hearing is scheduled for February with an administrative judge. The NLRB is looking to force the company to change its policy and compensate Parrish for the financial hardship he suffered as a result of his firing. Last week, the NLRB accused Apple of forcing employees to sign illegal and overly confidential, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements.