A new Oregon bill will prohibit employers from requiring employees to attend mandatory or "captive audience" meetings on, among other topics, labor unions.  Governor Ted Kulongoski is expected to sign the bill, which would them become law effective January 1, 2010.  Click here to read SB 519. 

SB 519 prohibits an employer from taking action against an employee who refuses to participate in communications concerning the employer’s opinions on religious or political matters. Religious or political matters is defined broadly and includes communications to employees about unionization.  An employee who suffers economic loss (through termination or suspension) as a result of the bill can sue his or her employer and recover treble damages.  The bill also allows employees to obtain an injunction prohibiting additional "captive audience" meetings. 

This law might not be long-lived:  the U.S. Supreme Court found a similar California law to be preempted by federal labor law.  Click here to read that opinion in Chamber of Commerce v. Brown.  Even if a court finds Oregon’s statute to be similarly preempted (and we believe a court will), the law could still apply to employers that are not covered by federal labor law – namely, Oregon public and agricultural employers.  Also, the word from Salem is that the legislature will still revise the law to provide additional protections for religious employers (such as churches and some hospitals) who hold religious meetings, so keep an eye out for those changes in the next week or so.