#AppleToo organizer Cher Scarlett to leave Apple, drop NLRB complaint after settlement

AppleInsider · November 18, 2021 12:22AM

Cher Scarlett, an organizer of the #AppleToo movement, is leaving Apple and will drop a U.S. National Labor Relations Board complaint against the company after reaching a settlement.

Scarlett declined to offer specifics of the settlement with Apple, but her lawyer told Bloomberg that she has requested to withdraw an NLRB complaint filed in September.

"The matter was settled privately and the request for withdrawal is pending before the board," Scarlett's lawyer, Alek Felstiner, said. "We hope the crucial organizing work at Apple will continue."

In her complaint, Scarlett alleged that Apple's human resources department impeded "multiple attempts to voluntarily gather wage data amongst employees." Further, the complaint claims company leadership "engaged in coercive and suppressive activity that has enabled abuse and harassment" of employees who decided to organize.

Scarlett was involved in the creation of the #AppleToo movement, which aimed to shine a light on alleged racism, sexism, inequality and other workplace issues within the tech giant. Employees were invited to share their stories on a dedicated AppleToo website and Scarlett began to post a collection of accounts to Medium in August.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Retail and People Deirdre O'Brien partially addressed employee relations topics in an all-hands meeting in September, though some questions were left unanswered. At the time, Janneke Parrish, another #AppleToo coordinator, said she felt "unheard." She was later fired.

Apple also terminated Ashley Gjovik, a former senior engineering program manager who spoke out publicly on workplace safety issues. Although not a co-founder of #AppleToo as sometimes reported, Gjovik similarly outlined allegations of retaliation, discharge, discipline and similar offenses in an NLRB complaint that is moving forward. Three separate NLRB charges into her firing, employee policies and Cook's apparent threat to leakers are also underway.

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ravnorodom · November 18, 2021 12:27AM

Ha ha. Money talks.

baconstang · November 18, 2021 12:32AM

"Money talks"

Or stops it.

lkrupp · November 18, 2021 12:37AM

So much for principle and wanting to fight for others.

williamlondon · November 18, 2021 1:04AM

Scarlett - "FUCK YOU, APPLE! You can SHOVE your offer to buy my integrity.... in my bank account."

sflocal · November 18, 2021 1:08AM

She lost all credibility.

sbdude · November 18, 2021 1:34AM

sflocal said:

She lost all credibility.

Did she have any to begin with?

NotSoMuch · November 18, 2021 1:53AM

I am sure a lot of compoanies are in line to hire her or not.

BeDifferent · November 18, 2021 2:09AM

What a grifter

Beats · November 18, 2021 4:00AM

Told everybody she was full of sh** DAY ONE.

I have ZERO white knight in my blood. As a person who understands women more than women do, I can see the BS within seconds.

Anyone who settles for money had that agenda the whole time.

WAKE UP!!

mcdave · November 18, 2021 4:20AM

#MeToo was always about leverage for career progression or compensation not justice. Implicit grievance for explicit reward.

JustSomeGuy1 · November 18, 2021 7:25AM

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

But beyond that... I seriously can't believe how much sh*t so many of you are full of.

I don't know this woman and I have no idea whether her complaint had any merit or not. But for you all to insist that she make a grand sacrifice for others to demonstrate her honesty is risible. How many of you would have the courage to do that? A bunch of cowardly internet commenters hiding behind anonymity and outrage. (And yes I'm entirely aware that this applies to me too, in this case. Not happy about the company I'm keeping at the moment, but whatever.)

You don't know what her life is. Maybe she is a grifter. Or maybe she's a single mom who thinks it's more important to feed her kid. I honestly don't care enough to find out, but I'm not going to judge her when I'm that lazy. I *do* judge the lot of you however. A pathetic crowd so panicked at the possible loss of their male privilege that they are willing to spend their time commenting on a nothing story like this to make themselves feel better.

And a special shout-out to "Beats" for this: "...a person who understands women more than women do", hilarious. I don't have a clue about women but I clearly understand them way better than you do.

crowley · November 18, 2021 8:32AM

JustSomeGuy1 said:

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

But beyond that... I seriously can't believe how much sh*t so many of you are full of.

I don't know this woman and I have no idea whether her complaint had any merit or not. But for you all to insist that she make a grand sacrifice for others to demonstrate her honesty is risible. How many of you would have the courage to do that? A bunch of cowardly internet commenters hiding behind anonymity and outrage. (And yes I'm entirely aware that this applies to me too, in this case. Not happy about the company I'm keeping at the moment, but whatever.)

You don't know what her life is. Maybe she is a grifter. Or maybe she's a single mom who thinks it's more important to feed her kid. I honestly don't care enough to find out, but I'm not going to judge her when I'm that lazy. I *do* judge the lot of you however. A pathetic crowd so panicked at the possible loss of their male privilege that they are willing to spend their time commenting on a nothing story like this to make themselves feel better.

And a special shout-out to "Beats" for this: "...a person who understands women more than women do", hilarious. I don't have a clue about women but I clearly understand them way better than you do.

Well said.

palegolas · November 18, 2021 9:46AM

Settlement doesn’t always mean money is involved. Like, if she is a leaker, as indicated in some reports, and had to be outed as a leaker in court, that wouldn’t reflect well on her credibility in the case, and maybe damage her credibility for life. And maybe she wasn’t ready for that? Like, if you’re dishonest in one area, what’s not to say you’re dishonest in other areas. Of course a movement like Appletoo needs to be organised by someone who isn’t afraid to be cheeky and burn a few bridges. Maybe she has those qualities? But I think it helps if they’re regarded as honest people.

GeorgeBMac · November 18, 2021 11:59AM

JustSomeGuy1 said:

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

...

Any company or public person accused of sexual misconduct or gender discrimination in the media is not guilty until proven innocent. They're just guilty -- the allegation alone is sufficient to prove their guilt. (Unless they can buy their way to innocence)

red oak · November 18, 2021 12:10PM

crowley said:

JustSomeGuy1 said:

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

But beyond that... I seriously can't believe how much sh*t so many of you are full of.

I don't know this woman and I have no idea whether her complaint had any merit or not. But for you all to insist that she make a grand sacrifice for others to demonstrate her honesty is risible. How many of you would have the courage to do that? A bunch of cowardly internet commenters hiding behind anonymity and outrage. (And yes I'm entirely aware that this applies to me too, in this case. Not happy about the company I'm keeping at the moment, but whatever.)

You don't know what her life is. Maybe she is a grifter. Or maybe she's a single mom who thinks it's more important to feed her kid. I honestly don't care enough to find out, but I'm not going to judge her when I'm that lazy. I *do* judge the lot of you however. A pathetic crowd so panicked at the possible loss of their male privilege that they are willing to spend their time commenting on a nothing story like this to make themselves feel better.

And a special shout-out to "Beats" for this: "...a person who understands women more than women do", hilarious. I don't have a clue about women but I clearly understand them way better than you do.

Well said.

She has made a career doing this at previous jobs. She blew up a chance at a lucrative career at Apple. Likely now un-employable in the tech sector

She is the sort of person who is a cancer inside the likes of an Apple

davgreg · November 18, 2021 2:36PM

I am quite sure the “settlement” - likely a severance package - includes an NDA.

Wonder how long she can keep her mouth shut.

And since she was gathering wage information we can presume she was wanting to do some kind of union organization or other worthless pursuit. Good luck getting another job in any tech firm - they are all averse to unions.

crowley · November 18, 2021 3:39PM

red oak said:

crowley said:

JustSomeGuy1 said:

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

But beyond that... I seriously can't believe how much sh*t so many of you are full of.

I don't know this woman and I have no idea whether her complaint had any merit or not. But for you all to insist that she make a grand sacrifice for others to demonstrate her honesty is risible. How many of you would have the courage to do that? A bunch of cowardly internet commenters hiding behind anonymity and outrage. (And yes I'm entirely aware that this applies to me too, in this case. Not happy about the company I'm keeping at the moment, but whatever.)

You don't know what her life is. Maybe she is a grifter. Or maybe she's a single mom who thinks it's more important to feed her kid. I honestly don't care enough to find out, but I'm not going to judge her when I'm that lazy. I *do* judge the lot of you however. A pathetic crowd so panicked at the possible loss of their male privilege that they are willing to spend their time commenting on a nothing story like this to make themselves feel better.

And a special shout-out to "Beats" for this: "...a person who understands women more than women do", hilarious. I don't have a clue about women but I clearly understand them way better than you do.

Well said.

She has made a career doing this at previous jobs. She blew up a chance at a lucrative career at Apple. Likely now un-employable in the tech sector

She is the sort of person who is a cancer inside the likes of an Apple

The "sort of person" being someone cares about pay disparities, discrimination and workers rights? The "likes of Apple" being anti-union, top-down directive, closed-shop secrecy favouring corporations?

Yeah, you're probably right, though "cancer" might be better thought of as a ray of light.

oldcastle · November 18, 2021 5:25PM

Eventually no matter how sincere #MeToo is ,it eventually turns into a jobs fair for all women.

heterotic · November 19, 2021 2:54AM

GeorgeBMac said:

JustSomeGuy1 said:

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

...
Any company or public person accused of sexual misconduct or gender discrimination in the media is not guilty until proven innocent. They're just guilty -- the allegation alone is sufficient to prove their guilt. (Unless they can buy their way to innocence)

She filed a charge with the NLRB against Apple for allegedly stopping their employees from discussing their pay. I think you are confusing her with the other woman who got fired

palegolas said:

Settlement doesn’t always mean money is involved. Like, if she is a leaker, as indicated in some reports, and had to be outed as a leaker in court, that wouldn’t reflect well on her credibility in the case, and maybe damage her credibility for life. And maybe she wasn’t ready for that? Like, if you’re dishonest in one area, what’s not to say you’re dishonest in other areas. Of course a movement like Appletoo needs to be organised by someone who isn’t afraid to be cheeky and burn a few bridges. Maybe she has those qualities? But I think it helps if they’re regarded as honest people.

It seems unlikely money was involved here. The NLRB does not assess punitive damages for violations of the NLRA other than backpay in cases of wrongful termination and constructive discharge. The most that would come from this would be a post on a bulletin board (watch John Oliver's segment from last Sunday). If the EEOC or DFEH was at play in her "dispute" with Apple, in addition to the NLRB, then it's possible she settled before a lawsuit was filed, but that would be in Apple's favor, not hers.

It's unfortunate she seems to be bound by an NDA, as I'm interested to know what prompted her to walk away from a situation that, had discrimination or retaliation been at play, likely would have been much for favorable for her had she not elected to release any potential claims with them.

red oak said:

crowley said:

JustSomeGuy1 said:

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

But beyond that... I seriously can't believe how much sh*t so many of you are full of.

I don't know this woman and I have no idea whether her complaint had any merit or not. But for you all to insist that she make a grand sacrifice for others to demonstrate her honesty is risible. How many of you would have the courage to do that? A bunch of cowardly internet commenters hiding behind anonymity and outrage. (And yes I'm entirely aware that this applies to me too, in this case. Not happy about the company I'm keeping at the moment, but whatever.)

You don't know what her life is. Maybe she is a grifter. Or maybe she's a single mom who thinks it's more important to feed her kid. I honestly don't care enough to find out, but I'm not going to judge her when I'm that lazy. I *do* judge the lot of you however. A pathetic crowd so panicked at the possible loss of their male privilege that they are willing to spend their time commenting on a nothing story like this to make themselves feel better.

And a special shout-out to "Beats" for this: "...a person who understands women more than women do", hilarious. I don't have a clue about women but I clearly understand them way better than you do.

Well said.

She has made a career doing this at previous jobs. She blew up a chance at a lucrative career at Apple. Likely now un-employable in the tech sector

She is the sort of person who is a cancer inside the likes of an Apple

I read her bio in the Washington Post, this doesn't seem to be true. Can you share some information on how she has done this previously? The only thing I could find was that she signed an NDA at a previous company for one month of severance after quitting and didn't realize she was discriminated against and constructively discharged until she filed for unemployment after she had left.

Ultimately I sense that the toxic speculation here has come much too soon, and whenever her NDA expires, we'll learn what really occurred here.

heterotic · November 19, 2021 9:54AM

red oak said:

crowley said:

JustSomeGuy1 said:

Apple tends to fight all the fights it thinks it has a chance of winning. The fact that it didn't fight here is suggestive, though clearly not conclusive.

But beyond that... I seriously can't believe how much sh*t so many of you are full of.

I don't know this woman and I have no idea whether her complaint had any merit or not. But for you all to insist that she make a grand sacrifice for others to demonstrate her honesty is risible. How many of you would have the courage to do that? A bunch of cowardly internet commenters hiding behind anonymity and outrage. (And yes I'm entirely aware that this applies to me too, in this case. Not happy about the company I'm keeping at the moment, but whatever.)

You don't know what her life is. Maybe she is a grifter. Or maybe she's a single mom who thinks it's more important to feed her kid. I honestly don't care enough to find out, but I'm not going to judge her when I'm that lazy. I *do* judge the lot of you however. A pathetic crowd so panicked at the possible loss of their male privilege that they are willing to spend their time commenting on a nothing story like this to make themselves feel better.

And a special shout-out to "Beats" for this: "...a person who understands women more than women do", hilarious. I don't have a clue about women but I clearly understand them way better than you do.

Well said.

She has made a career doing this at previous jobs. She blew up a chance at a lucrative career at Apple. Likely now un-employable in the tech sector

She is the sort of person who is a cancer inside the likes of an Apple

I read the piece in Washington Post, where are you gathering that she did this at previous jobs? The date on her article about Starbucks was after she left, and the Blizzard shit show was made public in July. It doesn't sound like she had legal disputes settled with any previous employer, unless you have access to information we don't?

She has 50k followers on Twitter and is a principal swe at Apple. She can get a job anywhere she wants.

Also, why does everyone thinks this settlement was financial? The NLRB does not sue companies for violations. If the charge has merit, the most they would do is make them post some kind of notice on a bulletin board (per John Oliver's show last Sunday). It's unlikely the resolution here involved money, unless the dispute also had the weight of EEOC and DFEH behind it.

#AppleToo organizer Cher Scarlett to leave Apple, drop NLRB complaint after settlement

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