Days after Trump appointed Apple’s attorney to lead the labor watchdog, two NLRB complaints against the firm were unexpectedly halted, raising questions about political meddling and fairness.
Just days after US President Donald Trump selected Crystal Carey, a former Apple attorney, to be the board’s chief legal officer, the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) temporarily put two high-profile cases against the tech giant on hold. According to the Financial Times, the abrupt stoppage of the proceedings raised concerns about political interference with the neutrality of the labor watchdog and worker protections during the Trump administration.
The timing of the nomination
According to NLRB papers, Apple’s defense attorney in both of the halted cases is Crystal Carey, a partner at Morgan Lewis & Bockius. According to documents obtained by the Financial Times, Trump said last week that he would name Carey as the agency’s general counsel just before the NLRB delayed the proceedings.
Requests were not answered by the White House, the NLRB, or Apple. Morgan Lewis, who also represents Amazon and SpaceX in labor disputes, declined to comment.
The cases and the AppleToo campaign
These charges involve Janneke Parrish and Cher Scarlett, two key players in the 2021 AppleToo movement that charged Apple with improperly handling allegations of wage discrimination and workplace harassment. Following their departure from Apple, both women complained to the NLRB that they had been fired in retaliation for their labor organizing efforts.
Their claims were backed up by the NLRB in 2024, which also filed complaints against Apple for allegedly violating federal labor regulations by meddling with wage discussions and firing Scarlett for leading work changes. Apple has denied the allegations, pointing to its employee rights guidelines and the 2022 lifting of workplace gag orders.
Hearings postponed without cause
At the end of last week, proceedings for April and June were put on indefinite hold. The NLRB informed the two women that the board’s “division of advice,” which often handles complex or case-establishing matters, would review their claims. There were no new hearing dates set.
A hearing on another case Ashley Gjøvik filed is still scheduled for August.
Carey’s involvement chills people, Parrish said in response to the events: “I fear for the future of workers’ rights and for the ability of any worker to get their day in court under this administration.”
More suppression of NLRB autonomy
The measure is a component of a larger effort by the Trump administration to restructure the NLRB. In February, the president pushed out Democratic board member Gwynne Wilcox.
Critics claim that General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo’s actions aim to undermine the agency’s credibility and balance. Wilcox has argued that her dismissal violates the Constitution.
Carey’s appointment is seen as part of a broader attempt to undermine institutional checks on corporate power, and labor activists believe that Trump is politicizing independent institutions more and more.
Advocates claim that the NLRB’s capacity to shield employees from employer retribution is being undermined as proceedings go on and leadership changes are imminent. Labor rights organizations are concerned about a growing imbalance in favor of corporate interests, especially since a former Apple lawyer may be in charge of the company’s legal direction.
