Washington adds worker protection laws, including ban on mandatory anti-union meetings

Washington workers will soon gain some new rights, including protections against employers holding mandatory meetings on religious and political issues.

“In Washington state, we protect that which we value. We value our workers and we value our working families,” said Gov. Jay Inslee, who signed a slate of workplace protection bills on Thursday.

The Employee Free Choice Act makes Washington the sixth state to prohibit employers from disciplining or firing employees who refuse to attend “captive audience” meetings, which employers often use as a union-busting tactic.

“Nothing in this bill prevents an employer from saying what they want to say, it just doesn’t require an employee to listen,” said Sen. Karen Keiser, lead sponsor of the bill. The Employee Free Choice Act is Keiser’s final bill to become law before she retires.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/04/02/inslee-signs-worker-protection-bills-washington-ban-on-captive-audience-meetings/