Microsoft Cleared of Wrongdoing Over Gaza Protest Firings

Microsoft faced no wrongdoing in firing employees who protested Israel over the war in Gaza, according to an advice memo from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) lawyers. The memo, dated July 10, instructed the board's regional office in Seattle to dismiss charges against Microsoft.

The NLRB attorneys argued that the workers' actions were not protected under the National Labor Relations Act because the demonstration at Microsoft's Redmond campus was not focused on improving working conditions or terms of employment. The protesters' goal was instead to express their views on the conflict in Gaza, which is outside the scope of labor law.

The memo's decision was based on the fact that the protest did not involve mutual aid or protection for the workforce, a key requirement for protected activity under labor law. Microsoft followed federal labor law by terminating the employees who participated in the protest, according to the NLRB lawyers' advice.