Worker Rights Extend to Facebook, Labor Board Says

As Steven Greenhouse reports in the New York Times, the National Labor Relations Board is alleging that a Connecticut company's decision to fire an employee over comments she made about her supervisor on Facebook amounts to an illegal suppression of worker rights.

According to the NLRB's acting general counsel, “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.”

This is a groundbreaking case for workers that will have far-reaching implications about how social media and the workplace fit together. An administrative law judge is scheduled to begin hearing the case on Jan. 25. - it will be an interesting one to follow!