WASHINGTON – The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has accused Apple of violating workers’ right to collectively advocate for better working conditions by restricting the use of social media and the workplace messaging app Slack. The agency announced Friday.
A Labor Relations Board complaint issued Thursday alleges that the iPhone maker maintained illegal labor rules regarding acceptable Slack usage, illegally fired employees who advocated for workplace changes on Slack, and illegally fired employees who advocated for workplace changes on Slack. Requiring employees to delete social media posts and giving the impression that employees are being monitored through social media.
This is the second time the Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Apple this month. The agency last week accused the company of requiring employees across the country to sign illegal confidentiality, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements and imposing overly broad fraud and social media policies.
In a statement released by a spokesperson on Friday, Apple said it is committed to maintaining a “positive and inclusive workplace” and takes employee complaints seriously.
“We strongly oppose these claims and will continue to share the facts at public hearings,” the company said in a statement.
In response to last week’s charges, Apple denied any wrongdoing and said it respects employees’ rights to discuss wages, hours and conditions.
If Apple does not reach a settlement with the labor commission, an administrative judge is scheduled to hold an initial hearing in the case in February. The judge’s decision will be reviewed by a five-member labor board, and the decision can be appealed to federal court.
The new lawsuit stems from a complaint filed with the Labor Relations Board nearly three years ago by Janique Parrish, who accused Apple of taking a leading role in employee activism. He claims that he was fired.
The new complaint says Parrish used Slack and public social media to advocate for permanent remote work, distribute pay equity surveys, and detail allegations of sexism and racism at Apple. He reportedly posted an open letter criticizing the company.
Slack, which allows employees to create group conversations, was introduced at Apple several years ago and became popular as a discussion forum during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the U.S. Labor Relations Board complaint, Apple has a policy that prohibits employees from creating new Slack channels without their manager’s permission. Posts regarding workplace concerns should be directed to an administrator or the “People Support” group, according to the complaint.
Parrish’s attorney, Laurie Burgess, said in an email Friday that Apple had committed “pervasive violations” of workers’ rights.
“We have filed lawsuits against employees for firing employees who engaged in core protection activities of calling out pervasive sex discrimination and other civil rights violations in the workplace, and for implementing facially illegal rules. We look forward to holding Apple accountable in this matter,” Burgess said.
The complaint seeks an order requiring Apple to rescind its allegedly illegal policies and compensate Parrish for lost revenue and other financial consequences of his termination.
