The New York Times has reported that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is going to look into tech titan Apple’s treatment of its employees in response to a whistleblower’s concerns about the company. Monday’s article by Kellen Browning said that the DOL kept the whistleblower’s name secret, but noted that the case follows a cascade of charges on part of employees to state and federal agencies.
The investigation became news after Ashley Gjovik, an ex-employee who has spoken out about retaliatory firing, told news sources about a letter she received last Friday. The news press reported that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Whistleblower Protection Program, the oversight arm charged with the enforcement of anti-retaliation laws, is set to conduct the investigation.
In Gjovik’s case, the former worker accused Apple of suspending then firing her several months ago in retaliation for reporting environmental workplace health concerns in a Sunnyvale, California Apple office, The New York Times said. A handful of other employees have accused Apple of retaliating against them, recently culminating in an activist movement called “AppleToo,” the article reported.
At the center of the movement is a revolt against corporate secrecy and perceived apathy on part of Apple. In September, The New York Times reported that in the span of a month, more than 500 current and former Apple employees submitted accounts of misconduct including verbal abuse, sexual harassment, retaliation, and discrimination to the employee-activist group.
When asked for comment, Apple allegedly repeated a previous statement about labor complaints, stating that it is wholly committed to fostering a positive and inclusive workplace, that it investigates worker concerns, and does not comment on individual employees.
