Are employees who even mention the word "union" on employer-organized internal message boards protected under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935? "This is kind of a new frontier, a gray area," Austin Garrido told me in a conference call with fellow former Uloop employee Sarah Doolittle last week. He and Doolittle claim they were fired after discussing unionization efforts at the college-focused social network. As their complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board continues to be investigated, one thing it could hinge on is if discussion about forming unions online is protected in the same way that posting a flyer in the company break room or chit-chat amongst coworkers on a shop floor. "It's something that really hasn't been considered in the past," Doolittle added. And what about third-party employee networks on sites like Facebook?

Uloop's Cal Poly campus representatives Austin Garrido and Sarah Doolittle, pictured here in their company shirts, have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after being fired by the student social network. The dismissal came only minutes after posting a message on the company's internal site expressing an interest in forming a union after discovering their paychecks were two dollars an hour lighter thanks to an unannounced pay cut, reports school newspaper The Poly Post. It is illegal in the United States to take action against employees for discussing union organizing efforts. I've asked Uloop and the reps for comment. (Via SFist)