Costco, a large retailer similar to Wal- Mart, placed a controversial statement in Costco's employee handbook. According to the handbook, employees were not to make disparaging comments about other coworkers or the company on any sort of social media. A union representing the employees brought suit against Costco. The union alleged that Costco's prohibitions on social media use constituted a violation of § 8(a)(1) of the NLRA. The court thought that by prohibiting disparaging comments about the company online, employees might believe they would also not be allowed to discuss any sort of union. What concept is Costco omitting from its business practices in this case? How do you think the court ruled? Why? Costco v. United Food and Commercial Workers, No. 34-CA-012421 (National Labor Relations Board, 2012).