Judiciary Committee stops
‘captive audience’ bill 

Harmful workers’ comp bills also die:

(March 31, 2006) The General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee this week defeated the “captive audience bill” that would have stopped employers from talking to their employees about many issues at customary, mandatory staff meetings.

The committee’s final vote on HB-5030 was 22 against, 18 for, and 1 absent. See vote tally.

In addition, proposals to repeal key tenets of the state’s workers’ compensation system also died when they were not taken up before the committee’s deadline.

Defeat of the harmful “captive audience” bill and workers’ comp measures reassures the business community that the state is serious about improving the business climate here and increasing opportunities for job growth.

Just by being debated in the legislature, bills such as these — and the “play or pay” health care tax proposal — tarnish the image of Connecticut as a place in which to do business and create jobs.

CBIA members and their employees sent more than 700 e-mail messages to members of the Judiciary Committee urging them to reject the bill. HB-5030 blocked employers from communicating with employees at mandatory meetings about:
• what’s going on at the state Capitol that could affect the company and jobs,
• employee-specific issues for which communication is not mandated by law, such as retirement plans and health benefits, and
• community-action efforts such as the “Save Our SubBase” campaign or the United Way.

The bill denied employees their right to balanced information — a right confirmed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). And it trampled on employers’ rights to speak with their employees.
 
Workers’ comp bills rejected
SB-24 and SB-548 were efforts to topple key pillars of the state’s workers’ compensation system. But because the committee did not take action on the bills, they died in committee.

SB-24 would have seriously weakened the state’s workers’ comp system by allowing lawsuits to be filed against employers in certain workers’ comp cases. The workers’ comp system was designed to be the only — and fairest — remedy for workplace injuries.

SB-548 would have allowed scarring awards regardless of where injuries are located or the impact they had on the claimant’s earning ability.

Connecticut’s standard for scarring awards is fair and more generous than those of most states, and does not need to be changed.

CBIA thanks its members who contacted the Judiciary Committee, as well as the committee members themselves who rejected these anti-business measures.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Bonnie Stewart at 860-244-1900 or stewartb@cbia.com.