Apple Allegedly Conspired To Keep Wages Low: Lawsuit
Despite a heated rivalry, there's one thing Apple and Google allegedly worked together
on: underpaying their workers.
Former employees of the companies filed a new complaint on Monday in an attempt to
expand a lawsuit they filed last year into a class action case representing up to 100,000
technology workers. Much of the complaint was redacted for privacy reasons.
The lawsuit claims that Apple, Google and a few other companies made "gentleman's
agreements" to not recruit each other's employees.
By doing so, the lawsuit claims, these companies "artificially suppressed" wages in a rigid
pay structure.
In addition, the suit alleges that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, former Google CEO Eric
Schmidt and Intuit chairman Bill Campbell helped enforce recruiting bans.
The lawsuit cites "CEO-to-CEO emails," do-not-call lists, and an analysis by UCLA
economist Edward Leamer finding that the alleged poaching bans kept wages low.
Despite a heated rivalry, there's one thing Apple and Google allegedly worked together
on: underpaying their workers.
Former employees of the companies filed a new complaint on Monday in an attempt to
expand a lawsuit they filed last year into a class action case representing up to 100,000
technology workers. Much of the complaint was redacted for privacy reasons.
The lawsuit claims that Apple, Google and a few other companies made "gentleman's
agreements" to not recruit each other's employees.
By doing so, the lawsuit claims, these companies "artificially suppressed" wages in a rigid
pay structure.
In addition, the suit alleges that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, former Google CEO Eric
Schmidt and Intuit chairman Bill Campbell helped enforce recruiting bans.
The lawsuit cites "CEO-to-CEO emails," do-not-call lists, and an analysis by UCLA
economist Edward Leamer finding that the alleged poaching bans kept wages low.
