Costco Confidentiality Agreements Are Unlawful, NLRB Judge Says

Costco Wholesale Corp. unlawfully required employees to remain silent about internal sexual harassment complaints at a North Carolina location, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled.

The retailer required several workers at a store in Winston-Salem, N.C. to sign confidentiality agreements when they accused a coworker of sexual harassment in 2022, NLRB Administrative Law Judge Andrew Gollin held Monday.

Costco employee Jessica Marie Georg filed the unfair labor practice charges in April 2023 after a company vice president told her in a letter to keep the results of an internal investigation secret, according to Gollin. Georg was also required ...