One of the key leaders of the growing #AppleToo movement has filed a charge with the U.S. National Labour Relations Board, claiming Apple fired her in retaliation for organising, according to documents seen by Reuters. The charge brought by former Apple Maps program manager Janneke Parrish swells the total count of unfair labour charges against Apple up to seven in just three months, notes The Verge.
In a cover letter sent alongside her charge, Parrish’s legal team alleges Apple used false pretenses to fire her and “nip-in-the-bud the successful organising campaign [#AppleToo] that Parrish and her coworkers established to address and redress employees’ workplace concerns.” Apple claims it fired Parrish for deleting files off a work device in the middle of an investigation, a rationale denied by both Parrish and other employees at Apple, according to The Verge.
Apple did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s requests for comment regarding the labour charges or Parrish’s firing but told the New York Times it’s “deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace.”
Following news of the company, Parish took to Twitter calling for increased accountability of Big Tech firms.
No one is above the law. Not individuals. Not giant tech companies.
We need to hold companies accountable for their actions. https://t.co/OVD1vXeLTO
— Janneke Parrish (@JannekeParrish) November 2, 2021
Parrish’s October firing came just weeks after the company fired another former Apple employee, Ashley Gjøvik, following her own U.S. labour board complaint alleging harassment and intimidation within the company. In Gjøvik’s case, Apple claims the senior engineering program manager had disclosed confidential product-related information and refused to cooperate with their infestation, a claim Gjøvik has disputed. So far, Gjøvik’s has made at least 10 complaints to state and federal agencies accusing Apple of misconduct, according to the Times.
The spate of firings and subsequent labour complaints will likely breathe life into a budding movement with Apple highlighting what #AppleToo activists describe as a culture of secrecy within the company that leads to a pattern of “isolation, degradation, and gaslighting.”