As 2014 draws to a close, the National Labor Relations Board has been busy handing out decisions and guidance. On Thursday, the board handed down a long-awaited and significant decision in the Purple Communications case. The ruling upends prior NLRB thinking on worker use of employer email, and may open the door for numerous legal complications.
The case involved attempts by the Communications Workers of America to unionize at Purple Communications Inc., a company that provides sign-language interpretation services. In Purple’s employee policies, workers are prohibited from using company communications equipment, including company email, to send personal emails or engage in activities on behalf of organizations that have no affiliation with the company, such as unions. CWA and the AFL-CIO filed an unfair labor practices charge with the NLRB, objecting to the policy on the grounds that it interfered with freedom of choice in union elections at Purple.
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