Apple Labor Cases Frozen By NLRB After Trump Nominates Company's Attorney As General Counsel: Report

The National Labor Relations Board has frozen two cases against Apple Inc. AAPL days after President Donald Trump nominated Crystal Carey, an attorney representing the tech giant, as the agency’s general counsel.

What Happened: The NLRB filed multiple complaints against the iPhone maker last year, alleging interference with employee organizing efforts, but abruptly pulled back from two cases late last week, according to documents reviewed by the Financial Times.

Carey, a Morgan Lewis & Bockius partner, is listed in agency records as an attorney defending Apple in both cases. Morgan Lewis specializes in representing management in labor disputes and has also represented Elon Musk‘s SpaceX and Amazon in challenges against the agency.

The postponed cases involve Janneke Parrish and Cher Scarlett, two leading figures of the 2021 ‘AppleToo’ movement, an employee backlash against Apple’s handling of wage discrimination and harassment claims. Both women filed complaints with the NLRB after leaving the company, claiming they were dismissed because of their labor organizing efforts.

NLRB did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.

Why It Matters: This development comes as Apple faces challenges in China, where smartphone sales showed promising signs in February with foreign-branded phone shipments up 9% year-over-year, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng, who maintains a Buy rating on Apple with a $294 price target.

The halting of these labor cases coincides with broader market uncertainty as investors await Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcements. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives has warned that potential Chinese retaliation to new tariffs could disrupt tech supply chains, particularly affecting companies like Apple that rely heavily on Asian manufacturing.

Apple has denied wrongdoing in the labor cases, stating it has “always respected our employees’ rights to discuss their wages, hours and working conditions,” according to the report.

Apple stock is in a negative short- and medium-term price trend, but the iPhone maker maintains strong momentum despite a weak valuation, according to Benzinga Edge Stock Ranking. Sign up for in-depth insights.

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