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Feds Settle Case of Woman Fired Over Facebook Posts
Mr.Intel writes "Employers should think twice before trying to restrict workers from talking about their jobs on Facebook or other social media. That's the message the government sent on Monday as it settled a closely watched lawsuit against a Connecticut ambulance company that fired an employee after she went on Facebook to criticize her boss in 2009."
Nor should it. A company should be able to block, or not block, anything they want on company property.
Gone!
I came when I saw your userid.
As a union delegate, and I've defended a number of people who have had their jobs threatened because of status updates.
Fortunately our courts (in Australia) have upheld that if it's in the public interest and truthful, it's fine. However, most people without strong representation who are unaware of their rights usually end up with formal warnings or fired.
Exactly, in the eyes of the legal system you cannot punish them as a boss, you must address it as if it were your neighborhood posting those things.
Yeah, freedom of speech doesn't trump freedom of association. Nor does it apply to private individuals. Your entire outlook on life is coddled and ridiculous.
Freedom of speech also implies dealing with the consequences of said free speech.
I didn't think you were right at first, but it turns out you are!
The legal arguement in this case was:
Lafe Solomon, the board’s counsel, said: “This is a fairly straightforward case under the National Labor Relations Act — whether it takes place on Facebook or at the water cooler, it was employees talking jointly about working conditions, in this case about their supervisor, and they have a right to do that.”
That act gives workers a federally protected right to form unions, and it prohibits employers from punishing workers — whether union or nonunion — for discussing working conditions or unionization.
Additionally, this is a federal labor law, so it applies even in states with At Will employment laws.