Law Center Search Results

The NAM filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit supporting employers’ right to limit what information is sent on work emails. The case arises from a decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that deems illegal portions of Verizon's workplace Code of Conduct that restricts employee use of company email because the NLRB believes the policies violate employee rights to discuss wages, hours and terms of employment. This case is important because manufacturers need to be able to adopt reasonable workplace regulations. The NAM’s brief argues that the ruling ignores the rights of employers to establish safe and productive workplaces and secure email systems, creates legal and practical problems for employers of all sizes, and infringes First Amendment speech rights. On September 24, 2018, the court held the case in abeyance pending the NLRB's reconsideration of the standard set forth in Purple Communications Inc., 361 N.L.R.B. 1050 (2014), which held that employees who have been given access to their employer’s email system for work-related purposes have a presumptive right to use that system, on nonworking time, for communications protected by NLRA Section 7. On December 17, 2019, the NLRB issued its decision, agreeing with the NAM and reinstating the right of an employer to restrict employee use of its email system as long as it does so on a nondiscriminatory basis.