‘ZERO TOLERANCE’

Barstool Sports Settles With Labor Board Over Anti-Union Tweets

The media outlet will have to notify employees of their right to organize.

Barstool Sports reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board after co-founder David Portnoy posted anti-union tweets, Bloomberg Law reports. The controversy started when Portnoy re-posted an article that said he would “smash” any union effort, and wrote in another tweet that he would “fire” any employee “on the spot” who expressed interest in organizing. The comment prompted allegations that he was breaking federal labor laws, which he responded to by selling t-shirts with his face and the phrase “Union Buster” on it.

The December settlement reportedly calls for the deletion of the tweets and Barstool's other anti-union content. While the media outlet didn't admit fault in the settlement, they do have to notify all of their employees of the right to unionize by email and “physical postings.” “The resolution of these charges reflects that there will be zero tolerance for anti-union efforts to threaten, restrain or coerce workers in the editorial industry,” Industrial Workers of the World attorney Benjamin Dictor said in a statement Tuesday. The Chernin Group, the investment group that owns Barstool, and Barstool's lawyer have not spoken publicly on the matter.