A court in the Eastern District of Texas recently held that two companies were “integrated employers” under the Family Medical Leave Act, in part, because the two companies shared a Facebook page. Dooling v. Bank of the West, No. 4:11-cv-00576 (E.D. Tex. July 17, 2013) (Bush, Mag. J.). This conclusion allowed the plaintiff to establish her … Continue reading
On July 15, 2013, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) released a memorandum providing further guidance on whether a company’s social media policy could be construed to stifle protected, concerted activity. Over the last two years, the NLRB Office of the General Counsel has issued several memoranda discussing the validity of employer social media policies … Continue reading
On May 8, 2013, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) released a memorandum providing guidance on whether an employee’s Facebook comments with current and former co-workers constituted protected, concerted activity. The memorandum was prepared in response to an employer’s request for advice about whether it violated Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) … Continue reading
The highly respected Pew Center recently released its demographic data on social media usage. The data shows that regardless of age, race, sex, education, or income, well over half of the adults in the United States who use the internet, use social media. It is therefore reasonable that employers would formally address their expectations of … Continue reading
On November 15, 2012, the National Labor Relations Board again rejected an employer’s social media policy because it could be construed to chill employees’ rights to join together for mutual aid and protection. Dish Network’s employee handbook banned employees from making “disparaging or defamatory comments” about the company. Relying on the NLRB’s recent decision invalidating … Continue reading