US: Labor agency says Apple workplace rules violate labor laws

A US labor agency found that major tech company Apple Inc. violated labor laws. The agency found that Apple unlawfully discourages its employees from discussing working conditions.

In an email seen by Reuters, the National Labor Relations Board is set to issue a complaint targeting Apple’s policies, claiming that the company’s executives made comments that stymied worker organizing unless the company settled first, according to an official of the board. The official sent the email to former Apple senior engineering manager Ashley Gjovik, who filed complaints against the company in 2021.

In an email on Tuesday, Gjovik said she hoped the development will get more Apple employees to speak up about working conditions and organize. Gjovik cited various Apple policies, including policies related to surveillance and confidentiality, that kept employees from discussing issues like pay equity and sex discrimination with each other and the media.

Gjovik also cited the 2021 email from Apple CEO Tim Cook that allegedly sought to prevent workers from speaking to the media. Cook allegedly said, “people who leak confidential information do not belong here.”

US labor law prohibits policies that discourage workers from exercising their right to organize to improve working conditions. Apple is already facing other pending NLRB complaints, such as one claiming the company unlawfully required the workers in its Atlanta store to attend anti-union meetings. Apple has denied any wrongdoing.

On Tuesday, the White House criticized the record profits made by Exxon Mobil Fuel Corp. of $56 billion in 2022, marking a historical high for the company and the Western oil industry. This comes as the scale of profits that oil companies have brought in have since resulted in renewed criticism of the industry and calls for more countries to levy windfall profit taxes on the companies.

The White House expressed frustration at Exxon’s latest profit margin as Americans pay more for gas, criticizing attempts by House Republicans to pass policies that sought to support the oil industry.

“The latest earnings reports make clear that oil companies have everything they need, including record profits and thousands of unused but approved permits, to increase production but instead they’re choosing to plow these profits into padding the pockets of executives and shareholders while House Republicans manufacture excuse after excuse to shield them from any accountability,” the White House said.