Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, January 31 (Xinhua)-- the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said in a ruling today that Apple violated U.S. labor law by sending an email warning employees not to divulge the company's confidential information, Bloomberg reported.

NLRB said Apple's rules around leaks "tend to interfere, restrict or intimidate employees" to exercise their rights under the National Labor Relations Act, as do statements from "senior management".

NLRB's decision takes into account an employee email sent by Apple CEO Tim Cook in November 2021. Cook said the person who leaked Apple's confidential information "does not belong" to the company, whether it is discussing "product intellectual property rights or the details of confidential meetings." At the time, he threatened that Apple was "making every effort to identify the leakers".

Cook's email is as follows:

I am writing today because I heard that many of you were very frustrated to see the contents of the meeting leaked to reporters. This was after a product launch, and most of the details we released were leaked to the media.

I want you to know that I am as depressed as you are. These opportunities to connect as a team are really important. But it will only work if we can believe that it will stay within Apple. I want to assure you that we are making every effort to identify the whistleblowers. As you know, we do not tolerate the disclosure of confidential information, whether it is the intellectual property of the product or the details of the confidential meeting. We know that leaks are in the minority. We also know that the person who leaked confidential information does not belong here.

Cook's email did not refer to product leaks, but to employees who shared details of the meeting, including equal pay, working from home, COVID-19 vaccination, and so on.

According to NLRB, Cook's comments violated the rights of workers, so Apple needs to settle with NLRB to avoid prosecution. NLRB cannot take action on its own to punish companies that break the rules, but NLRB's complaints are reviewed by administrative law judges and can go to federal courts, where policy changes can be issued.

Last year, NLRB also said Apple violated federal law by holding mandatory anti-union meetings in its Atlanta and New York stores and interrogating and coercing employees.

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