Google has been under speculation for their recent firing James Damore. However, the National Labor Relations Board has stated that the firing was totally legal. James Damore had written a 10 page memo in argument against the gender imbalance among tech companies. Looking at the memo, it was concluded that Damore did violate the policies of Google against harassment and discrimination.
Sources indicate that Damore’s complaint was filed in NLRB before he was fired by Google, in August 2017. He indicated that the objective of his memo was to address an issue at workplace, a category of action that consists of strikes and lawsuits, and which is protected by employee retaliation.
Representing the NLRB, attorney Jayme Sophir did agree that Damore’s submission was protected, but some of the portions of the submission were discriminatory and needed legal justification before firing him.
The decision read, “Employers have a strong interest in promoting diversity and encouraging employees across diverse demographic groups to thrive in their workplaces. In furtherance of these legitimate interests, employers must be permitted to ‘nip in the bud’ the kinds of employee conduct that could lead to a ‘hostile workplace’.”
The Labor Board memo was issued in January 16, 2018 but was made public only last Thursday. The memo clearly recommends dismissal of Damore’s complaint, but Damore and the legal team had already withdrawn the complaint. Now the legal team of Damore will focus on filing a lawsuit against the Google.
