Week in Review

This week’s news included advice to employers on tackling mobile device issues in the workplace while, on other fronts, Division I football players tackled labor laws. On Wednesday, the Chicago regional office of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Northwestern University football players are employees under federal labor law and, therefore, can unionize. Northwestern University has announced plans to appeal, and we’ll be monitoring this legal development and its implications closely. Meanwhile, employers continue to struggle with employees using mobile devices to check and respond to work emails after hours and the potential wage and hour issues this may create. Finally, we provide a link below to an article on best practices for employers with BYOD (aka bring your own device) technology policies.

Technology and the Workplace
Labor board: Northwestern University football players can unionize (CNN) (Connecticut Employment Law Blog)
"Wireless Ball and Chain" FLSA Working Time Cases Are Here To Stay! (Wage & Hour - Development & Highlights)
BYOD tips for employers (BlandsLaw Blog)
Lack of social media archiving creates legal minefield (ComputerWeekly)
Plaintiff-employee destroys Facebook posts about her case; court destroys her (Employer Handbook)

Technology and the Law
Twitter challenges Turkey ban, Erdogan holds fast (Reuters)
China demands answers from US over spying claims (boston.com)
IRS answers bitcoin tax questions, says virtual currency is property, not money (ABA Journal)
ACLU wins settlement for sixth-grader's Facebook posting (StarTribune)
Does Fourth Amendment protect computer data? (ABA Journal)

There's an App for That
6 Apps That Make It Simple to Split Expenses With Friends (Wired)
Web Fiction, Serialized and Social (NY Times)
Optimize Your Social Presence With These App-on-App Strategies (Mashable)
Enlisting a Computer to Battle Cancers, One by One (NY Times)
NYT Bringing Paid Subscription to New Mobile App (Wireless Week)