The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that a company illegally fired a worker for criticizing her supervisor on Facebook. The NLRB argued that workers are legally allowed to discuss their bosses or working conditions on the internet, a first for the NLRB. The board cited a company policy that stopped workers from discussing the company in any way on Facebook, calling it "overly broad." The board also cited another policy that stopped employees from making disparaging comments when discussing supervisors. The National Labor Relations Act allows workers to engage in concerted activity, which includes discussing working conditions. A hearing before an administrative law judge will begin on January 25.
See "Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, November 8, 2010