Workplace meetings bill could face legal fight - The Business Review (Albany):

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But Senate Bill 519 coulf also face legal hearings as to whethert it limitsfree speech. Senate Bill 519 woulcd essentially ban employers from punishing workers who refuse to participate in mandatory meetings relatee to religious or political The bill exempts religiouzs andpolitical organizations. The House approved the measur 34-24 Friday in a party-line vote. The Senates had earlier passed it bya 16-1 count, with Democrats Ginny Burdick of Portlandd and Betsy Johnson of Scappoose joining Republicans in opposingb it. J.L. Wilson of the business lobbying group said earlierr this week that the group might legally challengwthe bill.
The group feels the measure infringeswon employers’ free speech “We’ll probably file a lawsuit the day it’s enacted,” he “This bill could creats a new protected class based on whether an employere wants to attend a meeting or not.” Jillianm Schoene, a spokeswoman for Kulongoski, said the governor will sign the House Republicans wasted no time blasting the “One week after passing permanent job-killing tax increasees on businesses, the legislature is working to caus e further harm to our economy by dictating the termzs of workplace communications,” said Rep. Brucse Hanna, the House minority leader.
“Thanks to the Democrats’ big-money campaign contributors, Oregob will be the only state withthis broad, reckless, and unnecessary law.” The Oregon AFL-CIO praised the bill’ passage. Some employers hold mandatory meetings to rallt against potentialunion organizing, accordinyg to the 225,000-member group. “Oregon’s elected officials have today that they stand with the workinvg people inour state,” said Tom Chamberlain, Oregon’es AFL-CIO president. “Workers should be able to opt-outr of a meeting on personal topics without worryingthat they’ll be disciplinerd or worse.
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