As was widely reported, on January 25, 2013, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down President Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).  The members who were found to have been appointed under an unconstitutional exercise of executive power were Sharon Block, Terence F. Flynn and Richard E. Griffin.  One of the questions raised by this decision is whether the NLRB’s policy towards employee use of social media will change.  In the last couple of years, the NLRB has issued numerous rulings, primarily by its administrative law judges, as well as issuing three widely-read reports from it General Counsel’s office addressing social media policies and the application of those policies.  These rulings and reports have almost universally taken the position that any employment policy that can be construed to limit communications between co-workers discussing the terms and conditions of employment is unlawful.  For example, the NLRB Board this past September struck down a rule prohibiting employees from electronically posting statements that damage the Company or damage any persons reputation because, read broadly, the policy prohibited negative statements about how the company treated its employees.

Even if the Board cannot continue under its current composition, it is unlikely that there will be any changes to the NLRB’s view regarding social media.  The General Counsel’s office has made plain its position that the internet should be viewed a place for employees to communicate about the workplace, including making complaints about their employer.  Additionally, if President Obama is compelled to appoint new members to the NLRB Board, any new appointees will almost certainly contain similar views about the workplace and employment rules.  In short, it is difficult to believe that the NLRB will have a change of position in its view of employee use of social media and employers should continue to bear this in mind in both policy and practice.

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Photo of Eric B. Sigda Eric B. Sigda

Eric B. Sigda is a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s Labor & Employment Practice. He represents management in litigating federal and state employment matters including claims involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, Sarbanes-Oxley retaliation, breach of contract, wage and hour class actions, misappropriation of…

Eric B. Sigda is a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s Labor & Employment Practice. He represents management in litigating federal and state employment matters including claims involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, Sarbanes-Oxley retaliation, breach of contract, wage and hour class actions, misappropriation of trade secrets and violations of restrictive covenants. Eric has handled matters in federal and state courts and in arbitration. He has also represented clients before various agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor, and the New York State Division of Human Rights. He also regularly represents management in disputes with labor unions.

In addition, Eric counsels employers of all sizes on labor and employment matters such as family and medical leave, disability questions, employee handbooks, employee discharge and discipline, diversity and harassment training and contingent workforce issues.

He has wide-ranging experience reviewing, negotiating and preparing employment agreements.