Motorola Solutions Inc. violated federal labor law by terminating an employee for allegedly lying about conversations regarding wages with other staff members, according to a ruling by a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge.
The right to discuss wages is protected under the National Labor Relations Act, and therefore, Motorola employee Elisa Sheley was under no obligation to answer a manager’s inquiries about her discussions, whether truthfully or not, the judge, Administrative Law Judge Charles Muhl, affirmed on Thursday.
This ruling highlights the robust legal protections workers have when engaging in conversations about compensation, further reinforcing the importance of such communications in the workplace.
The case arose after Motorola initiated an investigation into the leakage of payroll data at one of its facilities, raising questions about how information concerning wages was being shared among employees.