Last Friday night, Gov. Phil Murphy served as the grand marshal of the Essex-West Hudson Labor Council AFL-CIO 34th Annual Celebration of Labor march in Newark.
The honor certainly could have been a show of gratitude for his administration’s efforts to support unions during his nearly eight years in office — or it could have been a thank-you for the past week.
Murphy, as he heads into the final months in office, made two big moves to support unions last week. On Friday, he announced the state had reached an agreement on cost savings for health benefits (see story here).
Last Wednesday, Murphy signed two pieces of legislation strengthening workers’ rights across the state. The first bill promotes knowledge of labor rights through education, and the second bill safeguards employees’ freedom to make their own choices at work, free from coercion.
Murphy said he was thrilled to sign the legislation.
“Workers are the backbone of our state,” he said. “Today, we are honoring the history of the labor movement while strengthening workers’ rights. Our actions today will help ensure that students understand the history of labor’s fight for fair wages and safe workplaces, while also promoting respect for our democracy by shielding employees from mandatory political or religious workplace messaging.”
The impact of the bill signings could be felt for years to come.
The first bill, A1682/S1054, will ensure that the contributions, history and heritage of labor movements are included in the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Social Studies for students in grades 6-12. The State Board of Education will be required to adopt standards about the history of labor and labor movements.
School districts will also be required to provide instruction on U.S. and New Jersey labor history as part of the social studies curriculum, including the history of organized labor, notable strikes throughout history, unionization drives and the collective bargaining process and existing legal protections in the workplace.
The second bill, A4429/S3302, expands prohibitions on employers concerning requirements for employees to attend or listen to communications related to political or religious matters. This bill makes clear that employers cannot mandate employees participate in communications about certain political matters, including mandatory meetings regarding the decision to join or support a labor organization or association. Such mandatory meetings, often called “captive audience” meetings, are a tactic some employers use to try and dissuade and threaten employees from forming or joining a union.
The legislation also strikes a careful balance by including certain exceptions to protect employer speech, such as the ability to hold voluntary meetings, transmit legally required information and conduct workplace anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training.
The bills were broadly supported by labor.
“Today, New Jersey is showing what it looks like to lead for working people,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said. “One bill Gov. Murphy will sign bans one of union-busters’ favorite tactics, in which they force workers into meetings to listen to religious and political speech, including anti-union propaganda, in an effort to sow misinformation and intimidate them out of their organizing. The second bill will ensure that New Jersey students learn about unions’ critical role in building the middle class and improving the lives of working people in schools. Learning about the labor movement’s struggles and progress empowers students to not only understand labor’s contributions to our past, but the importance of unions to our future.
“I commend the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and the governor for working together to protect workers’ fundamental freedoms and make this groundbreaking education law a reality. We urge other states to follow New Jersey’s lead.”
Anthony Abrantes, assistant executive secretary-treasurer, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, agreed.
“As working people, we deserve both a voice in the workplace and respect for the history that built our rights. Gov. Murphy’s signing of these bills is a powerful step forward for New Jersey’s workers and future generations,” he said. “By strengthening protections against mandatory political meetings through A4429/S3302, we ensure that no worker can be coerced into listening to political agendas that don’t reflect their own values. This bill safeguards the basic principle that a worker’s time on the job belongs to their craft and their livelihood, not to political messaging.
“Equally important, A1682/S1054 guarantees that the story of the labor movement — the struggles, sacrifices and victories of working men and women — becomes part of every student’s education. When young people learn how unions helped build fair wages, safe workplaces and dignity on the job, they gain the tools to carry that fight forward. Together, these bills protect workers today and inspire the labor leaders of tomorrow.”
Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, said the bills demonstrate Murphy’s support for unions.
“Gov. Murphy has signed a significant amount of pro-labor legislation into law over the past seven and a half years, and the addition of these two laws further illustrates his commitment to working families and unions,” he said. “We sincerely appreciate his support, as well as the leadership of the prime sponsors of these bills for their advocacy. These new laws address two important issues — protecting workers’ rights to free speech in the workplace by banning ‘captive audience’ meetings and educating students about the role unions play in the economy and society.
“The labor education law is important because many of these students will soon enter the workforce and, because of this law, they will be knowledgeable about how and why unions are formed and are necessary. Understanding the positive contributions made by unions is important and will now be taught in grades 6-12 so students have a better understanding and knowledge of how relevant organized labor is. Collectively, these two new laws illustrate that New Jersey continues to be a strong union state.”
Bill Mullen, president of the New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council, summed it up this way.
“No one should be forced into a captive meeting on the job to listen to anti-union rhetoric and political agendas from unscrupulous employers,” he said. “With the help of the governor and the Legislature, this law puts an end to that nonsense and ensures the men and women of the building trades — and all workers — can focus on their craft without intimidation, distraction or fear.”
