Threatening Facebook Post Provides Grounds for Dismissal

In the recent decision of CEP, Local 64 v Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited, 2013 CanLII 87573, a Newfoundland arbitrator found that comments posted on an employee's Facebook page constituted sufficient grounds for dismissal.

The Grievor was a Tallyman in the employer's (Corner Brook) shipping department. She had 13 years of service with her only discipline being a one-day suspension for insubordination about 18 months prior to her dismissal. Following an incident in the workplace where the Grievor had failed to follow her supervisor's safety instructions, she posted a message on Facebook. In the posting she complained that the employer was not concerned with the safety of its employees. She also identified the two supervisors involved in the incident by name. She used vulgar language in the post while making racist and sexual references to the supervisors. She also implicitly threatened that either she or friends of hers would torture or kill the supervisors.