If you go on Facebook today to call out your boss, using 12-letter profanities that imply your supervisor has carnal knowledge of their mother, and you also insult your boss’s spouse and kids, you probably won’t have a job to go to tomorrow. Yet a federal appeals court has ruled that a catering service at a well-known Manhattan landmark was in the wrong when it fired a server for this sort of Facebook rant, because that rant was ultimately about a bigger-picture labor dispute. [More]
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Court Says Eatery Was Wrong To Fire Server Who Called Boss A “Mother$%*!^r” On Facebook
By 4.24.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Staples And USPS End In-Store Shipping Partnership After NLRB Ruling
By 1.5.17
Back in 2013, the U.S. Postal Service and Staples had a great shared idea: mini post offices in Staples stores would give customers flexibility and the postal service some extra cash. Problem is, the folks staffing these in-store post offices were Staples employees, which didn’t sit will with the union representing postal workers. [More]
NLRB: Chipotle Wrong To Make Employee Delete Critical Tweets, Fire Him For Having PTSD
By 8.23.16
Do you have a right to complain about your job and your employer on social media? It might not be advisable for your career, but a recent National Labor Relations Board decision is that Chipotle was wrong to fire an employee for his Tweets about the company’s labor practices and because his manager feared that he may become violent. [More]
New York Sues Domino’s Pizza HQ, Alleges Underpayment Of Workers
By 5.24.16
A new lawsuit filed by New York state prosecutors accuses Domino’s Pizza and three Domino’s franchisees of underpaying workers at 10 stores by at least $565,000. Meanwhile, Domino’s HQ contends it should not be a defendant because franchisees are responsible for handling issues of pay. [More]
Walmart Used Defense Contractor Lockheed Martin To Monitor Employees
By 11.25.15
As a growing number of Walmart employees began demanding higher wages, with some also calling for workers to unionize, the nation’s largest retailer hired one of the world’s largest defense contractors to follow the online activities of critical employees. [More]
McDonald’s To Raise Workers’ Wages, But Only At 10% Of U.S. Restaurants
By 4.1.15
The good news for McDonald’s employees looking for a raise — the company plans to pay workers more and offer new benefits. The not-so-good news — this only affects about 10% of the company’s locations in the U.S. [More]
American Apparel Employees File Complaints Against Company For Alleged Intimidation, Silencing Tactics
By 3.6.15
It has not been an easy road for American Apparel after firing founder and former CEO Dov Charney last year: Charney announced in December that he’s trying to plan a comeback, and now two complaints filed by workers allege that the company is intimidating its workers and trying to keep them from talking to the media about the company’s troubles. [More]
Court: Domino’s Not Responsible For Sexual Harassment Of 16-Year-Old Employee
By 9.3.14
When a worker at a fast food franchise acts like an a-hole, it’s obviously his boss’s immediate responsibility to investigate and discipline that employee if necessary. But does the corporate office share any liability when things go wrong at the franchisee level? What about when people from company HQ are involved in the decision of whether or not to dismiss an employee? According to California’s highest court, the buck stops at the franchisee’s door. [More]
More Fast Food Strikes Expected For Thursday
By 9.2.14
Getting a Big Mac, Whopper, Baconator, Double Down, or Chalupa might be a bit of an inconvenience on Thursday, as supporters of the movement for higher pay and union membership for fast food workers say employees will strike in 150 cities. [More]
NLRB Rules That McDonald’s And Franchisees Are Joint Employers
By 7.29.14
In a decision that could impact not just the fast food business, but all chain retailers that use the franchisee model, the National Labor Relations Board Office of the General Counsel announced today that McDonald’s can possibly be held responsible for franchisees’ bad labor practices. [More]
Starbucks Can’t Fire Pro-Union Worker For Cursing At Manager
By 6.18.14
When is it okay to for a Starbucks employee to use profanity within earshot of customers? You might say never, but a National Labor Relations Board has ruled that the coffee colossus was in the wrong for firing a worker for dropping some R-rated words when involved in pro-union protest. [More]
NLRB Files Complaint Against Walmart For Alleged Retaliations Against Workers
By 1.15.14
Back in November, the General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board said he had investigated allegations that Walmart had violated the rights of some employees who protested for higher wages and better working conditions. Today, the NLRB says it has actually issued a complaint against the nation’s largest retailer, possibly setting the stage for a hearing later this year. [More]
NLRB May Prosecute Walmart For Alleged Retaliation Against Protesting Workers
By 11.18.13
For the last few years, a number of Walmart workers have pushed the nation’s largest retailer for higher wages and the right to unionize. During this time, some employees have alleged that management has retaliated against workers who have protested the store or walked off the job temporarily to strike. Today, the General Counsel for the federal National Labor Relations Board issued a statement saying he has investigated these claims and may have to prosecute the company. [More]
Can You Get Away With Complaining About Your Job Online? Maybe, Says NLRB
By 1.22.13
Any number of people have gone online to vent their exhaustion after a particularly tough day at work. But where do you draw the line between innocuous, “What a day!” posts and statements that could actually get you fired from your job? And what about valid gripes with working conditions? [More]
Court Sides With Starbucks In Dispute Over Labor Union Pins
By 5.10.12
You won’t be seeing Starbucks baristas sporting aprons covered in Industrial Workers of the World pins anytime in the near future, after a U.S. appeals court ruled today that the coffee company is within its rights to stop employees from wearing too much of the pro-union flare. [More]
Hertz Suspends 34 Muslim Employees For Praying On The Clock
By 10.7.11
A group of 34 Hertz employees, all Somali Muslims, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have been suspended indefinitely for reportedly not punching the time clock before and after taking a few minutes to pray during the work day. [More]
