Nurse’s Social Media Posts Protected Under Law, NLRB Judge Says

A North Carolina mental health center must rehire a nurse after a National Labor Relations Board judge held it unlawfully terminated her for complaining about workplace harassment on social media.

Misty Marie Blanchard’s social media posts about the management at Brynn Marr Hospital Inc. in Jacksonville, North Carolina were protected under federal labor law, said Administrative Law Judge Paul Bogas in a decision Wednesday.

Blanchard began voicing concerns that another employee was harassing her and her husband—who also worked at the hospital—by disparaging them to coworkers. She brought the complaint to management, but then alleged they were retaliated against when ...