CDW Statement on NLRB’s General Motors Decision
Washington, D.C. – On July 21, the National Labor Relations Board issued its decision in General Motors, a case dealing with the use of profanity in the workplace. The decision reinstates a previous Board standard used to determine if employees were lawfully disciplined or discharged for abusive or offensive statements in the course of activity protected by the National Labor Relations Act.
CDW applauds the NLRB’s decision. CDW Chair Kristen Swearingen explained, “General Motors is a welcome return to civility in the workplace and labor-management relations. For too long, the Board tolerated language that was at best inappropriate and at worst violent, abusive, and discriminatory. In today’s workplace, no one should have a free pass to create an unsafe or intolerant environment, and our labor laws must protect all workers from such behavior.”