Mozilla in Hot Water: Activist’s Complaint Sparks Uproar
Mozilla Corp. has been accused by the National Labor Relations Board of rejecting the employment of a former Apple Inc. worker due to her previous involvement in labor activism.
The agency’s prosecutors urged Mozilla to offer Cher Scarlett the position she applied for in 2021, or a similar position, and otherwise compensate her for damages for not hiring her. Scarlett and her attorney, Laurie Burgess, believe the case has the potential to dispel one of the most powerful factors chilling workplace activism in Silicon Valley: the fear of being blacklisted.
When Scarlett started talking about labor issues at Apple, she knew she was in danger of losing her job as a software engineer, but she was confident she would find another.
Yet two years after leaving the iPhone maker, Scarlett says she has struggled to secure employment, lending credence to the fears of many tech workers about the consequences of whistleblowing. Scarlett felt optimistic when she interviewed at Mozilla in 2021, when she was given the impression that she was the company’s first choice for the job. In the end, however, the process did not go anywhere.
“People not being able to get a job in their field is much worse than the threat of losing a job,” Scarlett said.
Mozilla and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
