Court: AT&T can ban workers from wearing prisoner shirts

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court says AT&T can ban unionized workers from wearing t-shirts that say “Inmate” on the front and “Prisoner of AT$T” on the back.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled recently that AT&T Connecticut did not commit an unfair labor practice by barring employees who deal with the public from wearing the fake prison garb.

Hundreds of union workers wore the shirts printed with vertical prison stripes to protest a lengthy contract dispute with the company.

The National Labor Relations Board ruled last year that federal labor law protects the right of employees to wear union apparel at work.

But the court overturned that decision, saying the law doesn’t protect messages that can harm customer relations or damage a company’s public image.