Town fires 4 employees for gossiping about boss

HOOKSETT, New Hampshire (AP) -- Can you be fired for gossiping about your boss? Four employees of a New Hampshire town say they were, raising questions about fairness, free speech and a staple of life in the American workplace.

The employees were fired in April after speaking to a lawyer the town hired as a fact-finder to rout out chatterboxes.

They say questions about a close relationship between Town Administrator David Jodoin and a female employee, identified only as "A" in the lawyer's report, drifted into Town Hall sometime in March. They say they weren't the only ones who discussed the rumor, and dismissed it as untrue after briefly talking about it.

"We didn't start the rumor, nor did we say there was an affair going on," Joanne Drewniak said Tuesday. "We didn't have time like they think ... to sit around and just gossip. That is so untrue."

Drewniak worked for tax assessor Sandra Piper; both were fired. Also fired were code enforcement officer Michelle Bonsteel and her assistant, Jessica Skorupski...More?

source: cnn.com

Absolutely ridiculous. Since when is talking about someone grounds for termination? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.