Apple knew about 'demeaning' bag checks on employees before lawsuit

Workers emailed Tim Cook, the company's chief executive, to complain of embarrassing treatment under anti-theft procedures

At least two Apple Inc retail store workers complained directly to the chief executive, Tim Cook, that its policy of checking retail employees' bags as a security precaution was embarrassing and demeaning, a court filing made public on Wednesday has revealed.

The employee complaints, which a judge ordered unsealed, are part of a 2013 lawsuit alleging Apple should compensate employees for the time it takes to conduct the searches. One worker, whose name was blacked out of the court filing, told Cook in a 2012 message that Apple managers "are required to treat 'valued' employees as criminals".