Mealey's (August 6, 2015, 8:08 AM EDT) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — “Common sense” dictates that an employer acted within its rights when it prohibited employees from wearing union shirts that read “Inmate” on the front and “Prisoner of AT$T” on the front, the District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled July 10 (Southern New England Telephone Company v. National Labor Relations Board, No. 11-1099, D.C. Cir.; 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 11982).

“A company may lawfully prohibit its employees from displaying messages on the job that the company reasonably believes may harm its...