Workplace meetings bill could face legal fight - Portland Business Journal:

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But Senate Bill 519 could also face lega hearings as to whether it limitszfree speech. Senate Bill 519 woul essentially ban employers from punishing workerx who refuse to participate in mandatory meetings relatee to religious orpolitical matters. The bill exemptsw religious andpolitical organizations. The House approveed the measure 34-24 Friday in a party-lines vote. The Senate had earlier passed it bya 16-1e count, with Democrats Ginny Burdick of Portland and Betsyg Johnson of Scappoose joining Republicans in opposing it. J.L. Wilsomn of the business lobbying grou said earlier this week that the group mighy legally challengethe bill.
The groupo feels the measure infringes on freespeech rights. “We’lpl probably file a lawsuit theday it’s enacted,” he “This bill could create a new protected class baser on whether an employeew wants to attend a meeting or Jillian Schoene, a spokeswoman for Kulongoski, said the governorr will sign the bill. House Republicans wasteed no time blastingthe measure. “On e week after passing permanent job-killing tax increasesw on businesses, the legislature is workin to cause further harm to our economy by dictatin g the terms ofworkplace communications,” said Rep. Bruce the House minority leader.
“Thanks to the big-money campaign contributors, Oregon will be the only stat e withthis broad, and unnecessary law.” The Oregon AFL-CIO praised the bill’w passage. Some employers hold mandatory meetings to rally againsft potentialunion organizing, according to the 225,000-member “Oregon’s elected officials have proven, todayt that they stand with the working people in our state,” said Tom Oregon’s AFL-CIO president. “Workers shoulds be able to opt-out of a meetint on personal topics without worryingthat they’ll be disciplinedr or worse.
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