Update: Un-hired For Discussing Wages On Facebook

I made a post at the beginning of the year and decided I wanted to give an update for anyone who may experience something similar.

In late December, I was fired from my job working site crew at a particular renaissance festival in Location: Florida shortly after making comments publicly on Facebook about the festival not paying its staff enough. I had previously worked the 2023 and 2024 seasons. At the time, I was unsure if the National Labor Relations Act even applied to me, as I had not officially begun working for the festival's 2025 season. Turns out, yes, the NLRA applies to anyone who has been hired to do a job that would be classified as W2. This includes gig workers being misclassified as 1099 workers and undocumented immigrants.

After speaking with an NLRB agent shortly after my termination, I did as they suggested and filed a ULP, a labor rights violation charge, against the festival. Within 3 weeks, before the NLRB could begin to investigate, the festival offered me a settlement, which included offering my job back, a pay raise, and back wages for the days of work I missed due to my termination.

This whole experience has been eye opening. When I went to reddit almost a year ago, I didn't think I would have a leg to stand on. Some advice for anyone wondering, call the NLRB and talk to an agent. Ask questions. Give them all the info. You can also search ULPs on the NLRB.gov site for cases that may relate to your own. I found several that helped me understand my rights as an employee.