One of the key leaders of the growing #AppleToo movement has filed a charge with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, claiming Apple fired her in retaliation for organizing, according to documents seen by Reuters. The charge brought by former Apple Maps program manager Janneke Parrish swells the total count of unfair labor 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 organizing campaign [#AppleToo] that Parrish and her coworkers established to address and redress employees’ workplace concerns.” Apple claims it fired Parrish for deleting files on 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 labor 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.
Parrish’s October firing came just weeks after the company fired another former Apple employee, Ashley Gjøvik, following her own U.S. labor 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 investigation, 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 labor 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.”