Can I be fired for posting on social media?
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Can I be fired for posting on social media?
I am a school bus driver. I posted a comment on social media that was
reported to my superior. I was then removed from the bus first and told that I
would be suspended for 3 days. Now I am being told to report to professional
standards. I am in the union.
Asked on October 15, 2018 under Employment Labor Law, Florida
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
Yes, you can be, unless there is a written employment (including a union or collective bargaining agreement) which by its terms prevents you from being terminated for this reason. Without contractual protection, an employer may terminate an employee for essentially any reason, including social media posts they do not like. There is one exception: if the post was about working conditions (and was not defamatory about the company or any supervisor or coworker or customer, etc. otherwise), it may be considered a protected utterance: employers can't stop employees from commenting about legitimte work issues. But any other kind of post could be the basis for termination.
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