WASHINGTON (Dec, 19, 2014) — The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that employees may use their company email accounts to discuss workplace issues, including union organization.
According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the decision overturns a 2007 NLRB ruling that workers did not have a right to use company email to discuss workplace conditions and compensation.
The NLRB revisited the issue at the request of the Communications Workers of America union, which argued that prohibiting employees from using company email was an impediment to workers' right to organize, SEMA said.
In its ruling, the NLRB agreed that “employee use of email for statutorily protected communications on nonworking time must presumptively be permitted by employers who have chosen to give employees access to their email systems.”
SEMA said key leaders in Congress disagreed with the NLRB finding and expressed their intent to introduce legislation to overturn the ruling.
For more information on the issue, contact SEMA's Stuart Gosswein at [email protected].
