Labor Unions Move To Reform State Laws

Unions are keeping a particularly close eye on Oregon, which recently passed the Worker Freedom Act, a measure that prohibits companies from holding mandatory employee meetings to talk about organizing. The law is a victory for labor groups, which say employers use the meetings to pressure workers not to join unions. The companies say the mandatory meetings are necessary to counter misleading information disseminated by union organizers.

The Worker Freedom Act was signed into law over the summer, but it doesn't take effect until January. Opponents have filed suit in Oregon, hoping to prove the law is pre-empted by federal rules.

Oregon is the only state to pass such a law so far, but it is considered a test case, the Journal reported. Similar bills prohibiting mandatory workplace meetings about union organizing passed this year in the Connecticut Senate and the Michigan House, both controlled by Democrats, but stalled in each state.

If the law holds in Oregon, unions will feel emboldened to push for similar legislation in other states.