HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A Connecticut ambulance company has agreed employees can discuss working conditions online without fear of firing, federal officials say.
American Medical Response of Connecticut Inc. settled with the National Labor Relations Board, the Hartford Courant reported. The NLRB said Dawnmarie Souza was wrongly fired in 2009 for making comments on her Facebook page about her supervisor.
The settlement was announced Monday, the day before a hearing was scheduled to begin.
The case was the first time the agency defended an employee for online blogging or Facebook comments. The agency said Souza was denied access to a union representative when her supervisor asked her for a report on a complaint.
AMR agreed to change its policies on Internet comments and allow employees union representation when requested. The company has not said whether Souza would get her job back.
Legal experts told the Courant the case would probably have little impact on non-unionized "at will" employees. They can be fired for any or no reason as long as the company does not violate anti-discrimination laws.
