Published , by Chris Jarrard
Published , by Chris Jarrard
In a move that critics have characterized as a crackdown on worker organization, Janneke Parish has reportedly been fired from Apple. Parrish is known for being program manager on the Apple Maps program and as the leader of the #AppleToo movement. Anonymous Apple employees believe the firing is in retaliation for Parish’s work with #AppleToo.
The official reason for Parrish’s termination has been reported to be related to noncompliance with an internal company investigation. Those familiar with the situation claim that Parrish deleted files and applications from a work phone.
The #AppleToo movement has been trying to shine a spotlight on work conditions for minority racial, gender, or other marginalized groups within a company known for its secrecy. Parrish and other Apple employees contend that they have exhausted all internal options for addressing this situation with no reasonable outcome. Because of this, the decision was made to take the fight public.
Unsurprisingly, Apple contends that things within the company are just as jovial as the tone of its various product launches. Still, from outside appearances, the company appears to be trying to stamp out this worker organization. Earlier this month, senior engineering program manager Ashley Gjøvik was fired from the company for leaking internal information. Gjøvik, who began speaking out publicly about conditions within Apple, felt that the termination was direct retaliation for going public.
This story clearly has more twists and turns to come. Within days of launching the #AppleToo campaign, more than 500 employees had submitted accounts of workplace discrimination or harassment. If Apple intends to fire everyone who speaks out, their human resources department could be busy in the coming weeks.