06/09/2009

Associated Press

In a squeaker of a vote, the Oregon Senate approved a bill that prevents businesses from requiring workers to attend company-organized meetings about politics, including union organizing, and religion.

The bill passed 16-14 on Monday. Two Democrats, Ginny Burdick of Portland and Betsy Johnson of Scappoose, joined the all 12 Republicans in opposing Senate Bill 519, which now moves to the House.

The House narrowly approved a similar bill two years ago, but it failed to advance through the Senate.

Introduced at the request of the Oregon AFL-CIO, the bill is a top priority for labor unions and adamantly opposed by business groups.

"Workers should not have to give up their opinions or be lectured about their employer's beliefs to get a paycheck," said Tom Chamberlain, the Oregon AFL-CIO president.

Chamberlain said the measure was prompted by worker complaints from around the U.S. He noted that Wal-Mart officials last year held mandatory meetings with their workers that discussed the negative impact of putting Democrats in charge of Congress and the White House. He also cited a complaint the AFL-CIO got from a worker in Oregon who said he was disciplined after walking away from a lunchroom after his employer started making anti-Catholic statements.

Business groups contend the bill violates their right to communicate with employees under the National Labor Relations Act, and that existing laws already deal with employers who discriminate on the basis of religion, try to coerce workers into voting a certain way or retaliate for union activities.

Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, said unions were trying to curtail the ability of employers to sit down with their employees to talk over issues that might affect the company.

Ferrioli and others said the bill could be a particular hardship for companies that offer such secular services as house painting but make religious faith a central part of their mission.

The bill does contain an exemption for political or religious organizations that by their nature focus on these issues.

In explaining her decision to join Republicans on the issue, Burdick said she feared that inadvertent violations could damage small businesses. "If you are a small employer in Oregon struggling to get by, especially in an economy like this one, you cannot afford to take a chance on this kind of legal exposure," she said.