Does Labor Law Protect Employees Engaged In Political or Social Advocacy?

Over the years, many employers have been tripped up by disciplining or terminating workers who are engaged in “protected activity.” Generally, for activity to be protected under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), an employee must either be expressing group concerns about employees’ terms and conditions of employment or be seeking to induce group action over the same. So, is employee speech over political or social issues protected? As that type of speech becomes more prevalent, a recent advice memo from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) sheds some light on how the NLRA applies in this context.