Companies must mind labor law when it comes to Facebook firings

As more employees are getting fired for their distasteful comments on social media, employers must learn which actions are, and are not, punishable.

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Many American workers air their workplace gripes on social media, and it’s starting to get them in trouble with their employers.

But their employers aren’t necessarily in the right either, Dave Jamieson says in an article from the Huffington Post. As bosses respond to workers’ heated and vulgar complaints with termination notices, they need to consider whether or not the law permits them to fire someone for what’s broadcast on social media, Jamieson explains.

Terminated employees have filed more than 100 charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing their previous employers of illegal firings.

“Employers who never thought of the NLRB before suddenly have the agency asking about their social media policy,” says Michael Eastman, executive director of labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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