(Image Source: Times of India )

 

BY LOGAN TITTLE

 

There’s trouble in the valley.

Apple, Google and five other tech companies who have allegedly shaken up job movement in Silicon Valley.

CNBC has the story.

 

“What they are accused of doing is collaborating together and agreeing not to poach each other’s employees. This is an antitrust issue federally…”

 

The labor lawsuit was brought on last year by five engineers — all former employees — who said the companies conspired to limit employee pay. The LA Times tells us the case uncovered an email from Apple’s Steve Jobs to Google’s Eric Schmidt discussing Google’s attempt to recruit an Apple engineer.

 

Steve Jobs wrote— “ ‘I would be very pleased if your recruiting department would stop doing this’ … Google’s staffing director told Schmidt the employee who recruited the engineer would be fired, and asked Schmidt to apologize to Jobs.”

 

Mercury News reports the tech team treaty cost workers millions due to the loss of chances to make more money in a competitive market. The companies also tried to get the lawsuit dismissed but were rejected by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh. She explains in the 29-page court order .

 

“The fact that all six identical bilateral agreements were reached in secrecy among seven defendants in a span of two years suggests that these agreements resulted from collusion, and not from coincidence…”

 

Other companies involved in the lawsuit are Intel, Adobe Systems, Intuit, Pixar and Lucasfilm.

 

And Mac World reports the companies settled in 2010 but have not admitted to any wrongdoing — only agreeing not to enter into any agreements that prevent employee competition.

 

The case is expected to continue into June 2013.