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.![]()
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.
![tim-cook-data-privacy-day.jpg]()
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
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Apple Violated U.S. Labor Laws With Anti-Leak Email
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There are certainly things covered by an NDA that are enforceable. I did not imply that Apple cannot restrict workers' disclosure of proprietary or confidential information covered by NDA. The NLRB caught Apple trying to restrict workers' free and fair speech regarding working conditions, which fall under federal protections. Companies cannot effectively gag workers from talking about working conditions publicly.
Regarding Apple's treatment of workers in the areas of pay and benefits: when the CEO made $99.4M in 2022, and has a net worth of $1.7B, there is something wrong (Apple, of course, is not alone - they are an example of the problem). You may think that the workers get "elite" wages, but that's not really accurate. Apple is harvesting their labor and paying them a tiny fraction of what they produce for the company. That is, after all, how capitalism is designed to work - it concentrates wealth in the hands of the owners.
How the hell is it violating labour laws if u aim a email at workers who leak Company internal Confidential Information's and break their NDAs?
The Company has every right to Warn and Terminate a Employees contract in such case
The Company has every right to Warn and Terminate a Employees contract in such case
Did you read the original post and this thread? If you did, you missed something.
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As I understand, this isn't about leaking confidential information per se, but about the fact that labour conditions may not be treated by the company as confidential information. In other words, they may forbid you to talk about their intellectual property, but they may not forbid you to talk about your working conditions.
In the US, it's illegal for companies to attempt to stop employees from discussing pay. Any NDA or employment contract that attempts to keep employees from discussing pay is contrary to public policy, illegal, and unenforceable.
Yes, you can set it aside when asking a general question that wasn't specific to Apple or any particular instance. I wasn't setting it aside to like not think about it.
I was asking a general question. It wasn't meant specifically about whether apple had the right to shutdown employees discussing HR related stuff.
I always find it funny when people suggest that if you sign an NDA, that it is the only legal basis that exists in the world.
Might just as much include in that NDA agreement to stay silent if child labor is applied.
People need to understand that Apple operates in real physical countries outside of their iCloud and while being there, it has to follow laws as well.
Might just as much include in that NDA agreement to stay silent if child labor is applied.
People need to understand that Apple operates in real physical countries outside of their iCloud and while being there, it has to follow laws as well.
The other side is when low skill in expensive high skill will be more expensive, and people have an incentive to use their brain and move into a knowledge based economy, get highly skilled.