Apple shareholders call on company to undergo civil rights audit

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The Associated Press reported that Apple shareholders approved Friday a proposal requesting the tech giant company to undergo an independent audit that would assess its treatment of women and minority employees.

Nevertheless, the shareholders' proposal is nonbinding, meaning it does not force Apple to adopt it.

During Apple’s annual meeting - after the proposal was passed - the company's CEO Tim Cook claimed he has "long believed that inclusion and diversity are essential in their own right,” adding that "a diversity of people, experiences and ideas is the foundation for any new innovation."

High-paid positions filled by white & Asian men

According to AP, Apple's high-paid positions are mostly filled by white and Asian men.

However, during Friday's meeting, Cook alleged the company "has achieved gender pay equity every year since 2017 and now has racial pay equity within the U.S.," AP mentioned.

The CEO also noted that 59% of Apple’s leadership positions during 2021 have been filled by people belonging to “underrepresented communities”, the news agency said.

Most shareholder proposals overwhelmingly rejected

Apple’s board had pushed against the shareholder proposal seeking a civil rights audit.

On the other hand, shareholders calling for the audit insisted that the tech giant should undergo investigations over sexual harassment reports, discrimination, and other violations.

The Associated Press indicated that "most shareholder proposals are overwhelmingly rejected when they’re opposed by the boards of publicly held companies."

Although the company's CEO Tim Cook said gender and racial equity are “essential to the future of our company," he did not confirm whether Apple will undergo the civil rights audit.

Inequitable and harmful conditions

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Apple, the recent civil rights audit proposal "was supported by 5.13 million shares and opposed by 4.45 million shares, with 131.2 million shares abstaining."

Dieter Waizenegger, executive director of SOC Investment Group and one of the shareholders that filed the civil rights proposal, explained that the vote shows that "investors want to know if Apple is making a difference in tackling potential harms to key stakeholders stemming from its products and policies.”

“Investors heard from Apple’s corporate and retail workers who bravely spoke out against inequitable and harmful conditions even under the threat of retaliation,“ he revealed

Unfair labor practices

It is noteworthy that Ashley Gjovik, a former Apple project manager was fired last September after speaking out against workplace safety concerns in the company, according to a report by Truthout.

Gjovik filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in October 2021, accusing the tech giant of unfair labor practices, including illegal spying in a manner that prevents them from their right to discuss working conditions.