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Concerted Activity via Social Media: What's Not to "Like"?

7/22/2021

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What is the National Labor Relations Act?

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) expressly gives employees the right to self-organize, form, join, or assist labor organizations, bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.

​An employer who fires, suspends, or otherwise penalizes an employee for taking part in protected group activity is liable under the Act
Employees discussing national labor relations act and social media activity in the workplace

Does the NLRA consider activity on social media "concerted activity"? 

Regardless of whether an employee is represented by a union, Section 7 of the Act protects an employee’s right to come together with coworkers to improve their working conditions--including when they come together online via social media websites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and others.

​Not only can a social media post be concerted activity, but so too can a comment or a “like.”

However, not all social media activity is protected by the NLRA. To get the Act’s protection, your statement must have some relation to group action, or seek to initiate, induce, or prepare for group action, or bring a group complaint to the attention of management.
Phone screen with social media apps potentially protected by the national labor relations act

What type of social media activity is not protected by the NLRA?

Statements that are egregiously offensive or knowingly and deliberately false are not protected.

Public disparagements of the employer’s products or services without relating those complaints to any labor controversy are similarly not protected, nor are individual complaints about some aspect of work.
​

That is not to say that individual employees cannot engage in protected concerted activity.

A single employee may engage in concerted activity if he or she is acting on the authority of other employees, bringing group complaints to the employer’s attention, trying to induce group action, or seeking to prepare for group action.
Employees discussing the national labor laws act and how it protects them
What constitutes a statement so egregious that it loses the Act’s protection depends on many factors and is subject to a balancing test between the employee’s right to engage in concerted activity and the employer’s right to maintain order, respect, and a workplace free from discrimination.

For example, the Board has found the following language not too egregious or abusive:

“Bob is such a NASTY MOTHER F***ER don’t know how to talk to people! ! ! ! ! ! F**k his mother and his entire fu**ing family! ! ! ! What a LOSER! ! ! ! Vote YES for the UNION! ! ! ! ! ! !

​National Labor Relations Board v. Pier Sixty, LLC
, 855 F.3d 115 (2d Cir. 2017) (profanities omitted).
Employee posting on social media about his anger towards customers during the pandemic
In agreeing with the Board, the Second Circuit reasoned that, although the employee’s message was “dominated by vulgar attacks,” the subject matter of the message included workplace concerns that was made in the midst of employer hostility toward employees’ union activities.
​
Thus, this “outburst” was “not an idiosyncratic reaction to a manager’s request but part of a tense debate over managerial mistreatment.” Also of importance, the employer consistently tolerated profanity among its workers, and the outburst was not in the immediate presence of customers or disruptive to a work event.
Board deciding that a post from an employee is considered disloyal
Even where an employee does not directly disparage the employer’s products or services, if the employee insults the employer’s customers, the Board will find the statement similarly disloyal and thus unprotected.

​
The Board recently found the below language disloyal:
"This is a repost from Trader Joe’s employees because I agree 100: Just because we are open doesn’t mean we are here for you to spend your time BROWSING around. We are designated as an ESSENTIAL SERVICE. We are not here for you because you have nothing else to do. We are not here because you feel like getting out of the house for a while. We are in a STATE OF EMERGENCY. This is NOT A VACATION! Every customer who walks in our doors PUTS US AT RISK. We really don’t want to be here, but we realize that we are needed. YOU don’t see how many times a day we wash and sanitize our hands to try to keep ourselves safe. YOU don’t see our upset co-workers in the break room struggling to keep their composure. YOU don’t see our spouses who worry about us every minute we are at work and who are our strength when we get home. We have our jobs to do and we realize the IMPORTANCE OF OUR JOB TO YOU. The LEAST you can do is come in with a sense of purpose, get what you need, and get yourselves home."
NLRB GC Memo re Trader Joe’s, No. 16-CA-261558 (Apr. 28, 2021).

The Board found the statement so “disloyal, reckless, or maliciously untrue” that it lost the Act’s protection.

Therefore, while employees generally have great latitude in expressing joint concerns relating to the terms and conditions of their employment, they must be careful not to make statements that could lose the Act’s protection.

Are you facing discrimination at work because of something you posted on social media? 
ASK US ABOUT YOUR CASE

The information you obtain on rodtannerlaw.com or through any link on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Every legal situation is different and you should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation. Please see the Terms of Use for more information.
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What Every Employee Should Know About the NLRA

7/16/2021

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What is the NLRA? 

Enacted in 1935, the National Labor Relations Act is a federal law that grants employees the right to form or join unions; to engage in protected, concerted activities to address or improve working conditions; or to refrain from engaging in these activities.

The National Labor Relations Board is the federal agency tasked with enforcing the NLRA. Put simply, the Act prohibits certain employers from engaging in unfair labor practices.
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Does my workplace have to be unionized for me to be protected under the NRLA? 

No. It is a common misconception that the NLRA applies only to unionized workplaces.

The Act applies to most private sector employers. It expressly does not apply to federal, state, or local governments; employers who employ only agricultural workers; and employers subject to the Railway Labor Act, nor does it apply to independent contractors or supervisors (subject to certain exceptions).

Because employees of non-unionized workplaces are still protected by the Act, this means they are equally protected in sharing information, signing petitions, and seeking to improve terms and conditions of their employment.

​Under certain conditions, and to varying degrees, employees are also able to strike and picket.
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How does the NLRA protect employees?

Employees are protected from unlawful acts of both their employers and any union that represents them. Neither employers nor unions may restrain or coerce employees exercising their rights under the Act. The employer and union are obligated to bargain in good faith with each other over the terms and conditions of employment.

Specifically, Section 7 of the NLRA guarantees employees “the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection,” as well as the right “to refrain from any or all such activities.”

Section 8(a)(1) of the Act makes it an unfair labor practice for an employer “to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Section 7” of the Act. For example, employers may not threaten employees with adverse consequences if they support a union or engage in protected, concerted activity; promise employees benefits if they reject the union; coercively question employees about their own or coworkers’ union activities or sympathies; etc.
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What do I do if I believe my employer has violated the NLRA?

If you believe your NLRA rights have been violated, you may file a charge against an employer (or labor organization) with the NLRB subject to the six-month statute of limitations.

The charge is then investigated by Board agents who gather evidence and may take affidavits from parties and witnesses before submitting their findings to the Regional Director or NLRB attorneys at the Division of Advice in Washington, D.C.

In certain circumstances, the Regional Director may petition the appropriate U.S. District Court for temporary injunction orders to restore the status quo. Critically, it is illegal for your employer to fire, demote, harass, or otherwise retaliate against you for reporting an issue or filing a charge with the NLRB.

Employees may also file a grievance pursuant to an established grievance and arbitration procedure contained within the parties’ collective bargaining agreement, but whether an employee can file both a charge with the NLRB and a grievance, and which one supersedes the other, is a nuanced issue that can present many complications for employees.

Has your employer violated the NLRA?
ASK US ABOUT YOUR CASE

The information you obtain on rodtannerlaw.com or through any link on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Every legal situation is different and you should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation. Please see the Terms of Use for more information.
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The information you obtain at this site or through any link on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Every legal situation is different and you should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.  Please see the Terms of Use for more information.


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