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Apple is under scrutiny from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which has filed a formal complaint accusing the tech giant of suppressing employee discussions on pay equity and pressuring an engineer to resign after attempts to gather wage data via an internal survey.
The complaint, issued by the NLRB’s Oakland office, claims Apple’s policies and actions violated federal labor laws that protect employees' rights to openly discuss workplace conditions, including compensation.
According to the NLRB’s findings, Apple allegedly curtailed worker discussions through overly restrictive confidentiality policies that barred employees in corporate roles from discussing pay equity on platforms such as Slack and social media. This included blocking a proposed Slack channel, #community-pay-equity, intended for employees to discuss compensation disparities and Apple’s financial incentives linked to sales targets. Apple classified the topic as "confidential and proprietary," thereby limiting discourse on wage transparency.
Responding to the allegations, Apple said it “strongly disagrees” with the NLRB’s claims but provided no further comment.
The case highlights the experience of Cher Scarlett, a former engineer who had been vocal on Slack about workplace issues like discrimination and was a driving force behind “Apple Too,” an initiative encouraging employees to speak out on racism and sexism within the company.
Scarlett reportedly launched an internal survey aimed at analyzing pay equity among Apple staff, but NLRB investigators found that instead of supporting her efforts, Apple took steps to silence her.
According to the complaint, Apple advised her to refrain from social media activity, suggested medical leave, and offered her a severance package - actions that the NLRB contends led Scarlett to quit under duress.
The complaint also describes incidents in which Apple managers allegedly interrogated other employees about their involvement in the survey and informed them that their activities were being monitored. Some were reportedly warned they could face demotions, a tactic the NLRB describes as part of an ongoing pattern of intimidation aimed at discouraging transparency around compensation.
Apple challenged on employee confidentiality
It is one of several complaints filed against Apple recently. The NLRB’s Los Angeles office filed a separate complaint on September 27, alleging that Apple required employees to sign restrictive confidentiality and non-compete agreements, and adhere to broad social media policies that stifled discussions about workplace conditions.
That complaint originated from charges filed by Ashley Gjovik, a former senior engineering program manager, who claimed that an email from Apple’s CEO Tim Cook - warning employees against leaking company information - had discouraged them from discussing workplace matters, including pay equity.
Another complaint from the Oakland office alleged Apple maintained “unlawful work rules” that created an impression of surveillance, unfairly enforced policies, and terminated an employee who had openly criticized a technology executive that Apple had hired. The complaint involved Janneke Parrish, a former product manager on Apple Maps and leader in Apple’s internal #MeToo activism, who was dismissed in 2021 after vocalizing her concerns.
The NLRB’s general counsel has requested a court order requiring Apple to post notifications within its offices, on Slack, and via email, explaining employee rights to openly discuss workplace conditions. The NLRB also seeks a mandate for Apple to conduct training for all managers, supervisors, and employees on these rights. Additionally, the board aims to secure Scarlett’s reinstatement, back pay, and a formal apology from the company.
Employees pushback on workplace rights
The complaints underscore the ongoing tension between Apple’s workforce and management, highlighting significant pushback against policies perceived as restrictive of employee rights. As NLRB complaints have accumulated over the past few years - spanning both corporate headquarters and retail locations - Apple has also been accused of intimidating retail staff over unionization efforts, including allegedly interrogating employees in New York and Atlanta who expressed union support and confiscating pro-labor materials.
The case reflects broader calls for corporate giants such as Apple and Amazon to uphold employee rights and ensure that workers can communicate freely without fear of surveillance or retribution.
Employees pushing for better union representation at the two tech giants is increasingly a source of friction and has resulted in multiple lawsuits, many of which are ongoing.
