No Reason for Captive Mandate

It wouldn’t be able to stand up to a court challenge and it makes absolutely no sense for today’s workplaces. That pretty much sums up the captive audience measure (HB 5460), which puts a gag order on employers’ ability to communicate with their employees by prohibiting what they can discuss with employees at  company meetings.

Charles Cohen, appointed to the National Labor Relations Board by President Clinton and who served from 1994 to 1996, says the bill “ignores decades of federal law on employer free speech rights.”

The proposal is in the Senate, but lawmakers would do well to just abandon the measure as a mistake for employees, businesses and Connecticut’s economy.

More than ever, employees want and need to get information on vital topics from their employers. That state lawmakers would work against employees on such an issue is puzzling — and slights Connecticut’s image as a place to do business.

CBIA continues to urge lawmakers to remember their “Jobs No. 1 Priority” pledge and reject proposals such as captive audience and mandatory paid sick leave as bad for Connecticut’s people and economy.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Kia Murrell at 860.244.1931 or kia.murrell@cbia.com.