Apple Violated U.S. Labor Laws With Anti-Leak Email

[MadDawg2020]

This is nothing but a shakedown by the NLRB looking for a payout. They have said as much stating they are looking for a settlement to avoid escalating the matter.
The only ones who will benefit from any of this are the lawyers.

 

[I7guy]

Their own salary information? No, they cannot.

“Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or the Act), employees have the right to communicate with other employees at their workplace about their wages. Wages are a vital term and condition of employment, and discussions of wages are often preliminary to organizing or other actions for mutual aid or protection.”

No “salary information.” You made the use case “their salary information”, but I said “salary information”, which means others salary information.

 

[WLSON]

Good, you reap what you sow. Keep enabling the woke and you'll pay the price.

 

[vipergts2207]

No “salary information.” You made the use case “their salary information”, but I said “salary information”, which means others salary information.

Actually “salary information” is quite unspecific. In any case, I’m unaware of an Apple employee having leaked the salary information of others. Are you? If not, then your point is moot, employees are allowed to discuss their wages, regardless of what Apple or Cook says.

 

[macsimcon]

Where are the fines to curb this behavior? Apple makes over a billion dollars in profit EVERY DAY. Fine them three months' profit. The next time, six months. The time after that, one year. Eventually, penny-pinching Scrooge Cook will get the message.

Absent that, Timmy will never stop taking advantage of employees or customers to save a single penny. What a wretched human being.

 

[fatTribble]

Why? This is just another organization that twists "rights" in a self-serving life mission. It's sad and pathetic how some groups of people perceive things. No rights were violated. No laws were broken with that email. They are manufacturing "evidence" to make a case.

Sounds like your comment is more about the validity of the rules. Apple should know about any rules or laws applicable to them regardless of how they feel about them.

 

[KPOM]

Apple is mainly preserving of fundamental rights and looks to be on the right side of history around the same time as centrists. I think Apple usually approaches in a less partisan way to consider it left-wing. Particularly since Apple is slow to back issues and avoids more divisive areas. The left is often early to be on the right side of history, but not necessarily getting all the details right despite their conviction. In fact, sometimes to an extent they set their cause back. The right usually gets on the right side of history eventually after at least a decade or two and by then the details are figured out. Apple is somewhere in the middle where most of the details are figured out, so time to start setting them in stone.

Being a California company, their employees are more likely to support Democrats. Although I feel California has been swinging more independent after so many failed policies. Apple has been spending more lobbying democrats lately, but mainly because they are the larger threat to App Store regulation.

My point was that during a GOP administration, they are more likely to get tax and regulatory relief, much less likely to be targeted for anti-trust violations, etc.

I think >90% of individual donations from Apple employees went to Democrats in both the 2020 and 2022 election cycles.

 

[4nNtt]

My point was that during a GOP administration, they are more likely to get tax and regulatory relief, much less likely to be targeted for anti-trust violations, etc.

I think >90% of individual donations from Apple employees went to Democrats in both the 2020 and 2022 election cycles.

Yeah I’m sure Apple loves the GOP when it comes to laissez-faire policy.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Don't stop them from discussing anything. Just don't move on pay. That's what they agreed to, they can take it or leave it. Easy enough.

 

[I7guy]

Actually “salary information” is quite unspecific. In any case, I’m unaware of an Apple employee having leaked the salary information of others. Are you? If not, then your point is moot, employees are allowed to discuss their wages, regardless of what Apple or Cook says.

Great we agree. “Salary information” that is not yours is business confidential; regardless of whether or not it’s been leaked in the past.

 

[J.J. Sefton]

Tim Cook looks like a Bond villain about to address his minions.

 

[PauloSera]

Did I miss what right was violated exactly?

That's OK, the NLRB did too.

 

[PauloSera]

The average Apple salary is $143K. It's a lot but

There is no but. That's more than enough for anyone to live on comfortably, debt free.

 

[tubular]

Apple violated United States labor laws when it sent out an email warning employees about leaking confidential information about the company, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said today

Don't do that, Tim.

 

[vipergts2207]

Great we agree. “Salary information” that is not yours is business confidential; regardless of whether or not it’s been leaked in the past.

Again, is that what these employees did? Nope. Employees can talk about their wages without fear of reprisals. I’d think you could understand the plain language coming from the NLRB, but I guess not. 🤷‍♂️

 

[boss.king]

There is no but. That's more than enough for anyone to live on comfortably, debt free.

I never said it wasn’t. Context is key. The person I was replying to said you don’t see those wages anywhere else in the world, but that’s not true at all.

 

[dmr727]

There is no but. That's more than enough for anyone to live on comfortably, debt free.

Perhaps if you're single, but after taxes that's likely less than 8K per month. Obviously everyone's priorities will be different, but I can't imagine it's easy to support a family in the Bay Area on that money.

 

[wigby]

The minimum wage is literally set by the government. However minimum wage is also a terrible idea since you're inflating the value of low skilled workers and harming the ones who can't get jobs. In some states like California you can't even offer internships to low-skilled people, further limiting their growth opportunities.

We need less government intrusion in our lives.

All kinds of laws are set and enforced by the government. That has nothing to do with the fact that the timeline and details of those laws are all created by corporations. That's democracy in a capitalist society. We have much less government intrusion than you can believe.

 

[JunBringer]

Poor Tim needs that picture scrubbed from the net.

 

[marinersaptcomplex]

I love and admire him but I want change! Why is Apple even facing this?

I'm confused--does he not have a competent legal team reviewing his emails or did he send the offending email in the middle of the night without having anyone proofread it?

 

[jjudson]

Why would he go? Tim Cook has led Apple’s to growth in to a trillion dollar company!

There's growth, and then there's vision. Cook has no vision. Jobs proved you could do both.

Chasing shareholder value doesn't make a great company.

There's more to it than that...

 

[Spinnetti]

Product I get, but labor conversations like talking about your pay and work environment are protected topics; that's a pretty major gaff and somebody of his pay level or his handlers should know better. Some years ago, we had mandatory anti-union training at a big company I worked for - was across many thousands of people; I'm surprised that never made it to the NLRB. I bet these draconian tactics cause more problems than they solve.

 

[Wildkraut]

There is no but. That's more than enough for anyone to live on comfortably, debt free.

I doubt the $143k includes the all Apple employees, so it can’t be the average.

Apple salaries: How much does Apple pay? | Indeed.com

The average Apple salary ranges from approximately $30,300 per year for Retail Sales Associate to $200,000 per year for Senior Software Architect. Average Apple hourly pay ranges from approximately $11.00 per hour for Medical Assistant to $68.00 per hour for Online Manager.

www.indeed.com

 

[robd003]

All kinds of laws are set and enforced by the government. That has nothing to do with the fact that the timeline and details of those laws are all created by corporations. That's democracy in a capitalist society. We have much less government intrusion than you can believe.

The government intrudes into peoples lives every day. Every time you transact they steal from you. They limit what you can purchase. The government even spies on it's own citizens.

If anything we need a much more limited government.

 

[rhemy123]

Apple violated United States labor laws when it sent out an email warning employees about leaking confidential information about the company, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said today in a ruling shared by Bloomberg.

Rules that Apple has established around leaks "tend to interfere with, restrain or coerce employees" from the exercise of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act, says the NLRB, as do statements from "high-level executives."

The NLRB's decision references an employee email that was sent out by Apple CEO Tim Cook in November 2021. Cook said that people who leak confidential information about Apple "do not belong" at the company, whether they were discussing "product IP or the details of a confidential meeting." At the time, he threatened that Apple was doing "everything in [its] power to identify those who leaked." From Cook's email:

Cook's email wasn't referencing a product leak, but was instead aimed at employees who had shared details about a meeting focused on pay equity, working from home, COVID vaccinations, and more.

According to the NLRB, Cook violated worker rights with his statements, and as a result, Apple will need to settle with the NLRB to avoid a complaint. The NLRB is not able to act on its own to punish companies for violations, but NLRB complaints are reviewed by administrative law judges and can head to federal court where policy changes can be enacted.

Last year, the NLRB also said that Apple violated federal law by holding mandatory anti-union meetings and interrogating and coercing employees at its Atlanta and New York store locations.

Article Link: Apple Violated U.S. Labor Laws With Anti-Leak Email

Jesus, if I worked at Apple and was sent a video with Tim Cook dressed in a suit like that, I'd freak. lol. What happened to the sneakers and crew neck sweaters they use when hocking Apple products? He looks like he's gonna kill you if you don't do what he tells you to do.