NLRB Chairman Equates Posting on Social Media with Conversing around a Water Cooler

Many employers attempt to control what their employee can (and cannot) say in social media posts about the employer.  But, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled in a series of cases that blanket restrictions on employee speech on social media are illegal.  The NLRB’s position is that employees have the legal right to discuss their employers and work conditions openly and freely, whether the conversations occur around the proverbial “water cooler” or on Facebook.   In an article in today’s New York Times, the Chairman of the NLRB explains the Board’s recent activism.  He said, “Many view social media as the new water cooler.  All we’re doing is applying traditional rules to a new technology.”  If you are interested in reading the article, you can find it here.