Good news, bad news:
‘Scarring’ bill defeated, employer-muzzling bill approved by committee

(May 4, 2007) The legislature’s Appropriations Committee this week scored a draw on two significant bills that would make the state much less competitive for job growth if they were enacted.

The good news is that the committee defeated on a tie vote SB-153, which would have repealed a model workers comp reform by expanding the state’s already fair and generous scarring awards for workers’ compensation.

On the other hand, the committee approved HB-7326, the “Freedom in the Workplace” or “captive audience” bill. Although amended, the bill will still limit communications between employers and employees.

How the committee voted on the two bills.

Scarring awards
SB-153 not only would have repealed one of the workers’ comp reforms, but it would have gone even further by eliminating the two-year statute of limitations on scarring awards.

As a result, workers’ comp costs in Connecticut would have increased by $40 million in the first year alone — based on a similar yet less generous bill that was proposed last year and priced by the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

CBIA thanks the committee members who understood how harmful that would have been to Connecticut’s economy and voted against the bill.

Muzzling employers
From its “freedom in the workplace” title, HB-7326 seems relatively harmless. But the bill’s true intent is to prohibit certain vital employer-employee communications.

HB-7326 is part of a national campaign by organized labor to prevent open communication between employers and employees so that employees have little choice other than to turn to the unions for vital information affecting the workplace and community at large.

Many employers frequently speak to their employees at mandatory staff meetings. It’s a very practical way of communicating with a large workforce.

Under the bill, however, primary topics that could be banned at such meetings include any legislative or government developments that could affect jobs and the workplace, or anything that could be collectively bargained for – such as health care and other employee benefits.

It does that by restricting employers from talking about “political or religious” matters — which initially sounds hard to disagree with. But the bill so broadly defines “political” matters that it includes issues that aren’t really political, but are important to employees and their jobs.

In today’s global economy, businesses are under great pressure to adapt quickly to changing economic situations and competition. The ability to openly communicate with employees is crucial to a business’ competitiveness.

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) grants employees abundant rights and employers clear guidelines on how they may communicate with their employees. The NLRA is designed to ensure balance in the workplace between an employer’s right to effectively manage its employees through free speech and an employee’s right to unionize.

Legislation hindering that communication denies workers their right to information, a right protected by the NLRA. It also tramples on the right of employers to convey needed information to their employees.

If HB-7326 had been enacted a few years ago, it would have meant one of biggest grassroots efforts in Connecticut history — the campaign to save the U.S. Navy submarine base in Groton — would have been a banned topic in workplaces around the state. Many employers held compulsory meetings with their employees regarding initiatives to save the sub base.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Kia Floyd at 860-244-1931 or floydk@cbia.com.

CBIA Action Center

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