According to a court

Apple broke US labour rules when it forbade employees from disclosing proprietary information. Tim Cook allegedly sent an email in 2021 stating that employees shouldn’t reveal proprietary information about Apple, including as meeting minutes or product information. Cook threatened further, saying that Apple was making every effort to track out the offenders.

According to a Bloomberg article, Cook sent the email after information about a management question-and-answer session at the business was leaked. Pay equity, Texas’ anti-abortion laws, COVID vaccines, and working from home were the main topics of discussion.

The American National Labor Relations Board claims that Apple’s anti-leak policies may obstruct, restrict, or pressure its employees from exercising their legal rights.

Ashley Gjovik, a former senior engineering manager at Apple, brought the issue before the NLRB when she made a claim against the company. She claimed in her lawsuit that the email promising to punish leakers, as well as a number of rules in Apple’s employee handbook, broke the law.

These accusations have merit, according to the National Labor Relations Board. The Bloomberg story also states that if Apple doesn’t settle, the agency plans to file a complaint against the corporation.

The NLRB is not able to take enforcement action against firms on its own. It can, however, make complaints. In order to enforce policy changes, judges in administrative law or federal court can consider the filing.