Senate Leadership
May 22, 2009
Looney Leads Passage of Bill That Protects Workers
Bill says employees can’t be required to attend meetings about their position on religious or political matters
Hartford: As co-sponsor of Senate Bill 365, Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven) played a pivotal role in passing a bill this week that protects workers from intimidation concerning their political or religious views.
The legislative analysis of the bill states the following: “This bill prohibits employers from requiring employees to attend meetings primarily about the employer's position on religious or political matters. The bill defines political matters as including political party affiliation or the decision to join or not join any lawful political, social, or community group or activity or a labor organization.”
“There are many reasons why an employer may require a meeting with an employee,” said Senator Looney, “but it should not be about the employee’s political or religious beliefs. Meeting like this can have a chilling effect on workers’ ability to organize or join a labor organization. This bill will change that and send a strong message that workforce intimidation won’t be tolerated.”
In a public hearing on the bill, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Connecticut said, “This bill will help limit the number of 'business meetings' employees are forced to attend where they are bullied, harassed and intimidated into subscribing to employers opinions.”
Representatives from the United Auto Workers (UAW) said the following: “This bill shows the support Connecticut has for its workers, by protecting them from being silenced by intimidating practices of their employers.” The legislative analysis details some exceptions that are included in the bill: “The bill provides exceptions when the employer is communicating about religious or political matters that it is required to by law, but only to the extent of the legal requirement. It also exempts casual conversation between employees, and between employees and agents of employers, provided participation in the conversations is not required and they occur in the normal course of the employee's duties.”
Senate Bill 365 also provides exceptions for three types of employers:
- A religious organization may require its employees to attend a meeting or participate in communications with the employer or its agents to communicate the employer's religious beliefs, practices, or tenets;
- A political organization may require its employees to attend a meeting or participate in communications with the employer or its agents to communicate the employer's political tenets or purposes; and
- A higher education institution or its agent may meet with or participate in communications with its employees about political or religious matters that are part of the institution's regular coursework, symposia, or academic programs.
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