Apple Accused of Violating Federal Law Over Allegedly Illegal Employee Agreements: NLRB Hearing Set for January – Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

The National Labor Relations Board has reportedly filed a complaint against it Apple Inc. AAPL on Monday, alleging that the tech giant forced its employees to sign illegal confidentiality, non-compete and non-disclosure agreements.

What happened: The complaint also alleges that Apple over-enforced its social media and misconduct policies. The NLRB statement, seen by Reuters, accuses Apple of “interfering with, restricting and coercing employees in the exercise” of their rights under federal labor law.

The case is reportedly scheduled to be heard by an administrative law judge in January.

The NLRB demands that Apple repeal its unlawful rules and inform its employees of their legal rights.

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These allegations stem from a September 2021 case involving Ashley Gjovik, a former senior engineering program manager who was allegedly fired for raising issues such as harassment and sexism.

In May, the NLRB found that Apple had conducted unauthorized interviews of employees at its World Trade Center retail store in New York City.

Apple did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.

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Why it matters: This complaint comes amid increasing union organizing efforts at Apple retail stores.

In July, Apple made history by securing its first U.S. union labor contract with retail workers in Towson, Maryland. This was a significant milestone for the company as it was the first time its U.S. workers had successfully joined a union.

Apple Store employees in Towson, members of the International Association of Machinists union since June 2022, had negotiated their first contract and even authorized a strike in May without setting a deadline.

Additionally, Apple faced increased unionization efforts at other locations, including a store in New Jersey. Previous unionization attempts in Maryland and Oklahoma have influenced these efforts.

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Disclaimer: This content was created in part with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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