Effective January 1, 2025, Illinois employers will be limited in their ability to conduct “captive audience” meetings. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law SB3649, commonly known as the Worker Freedom of Speech Act.
Employers may not take adverse action against employees because they refuse to attend or refuse to “receive” or “listen to” communications from the employer. The new law “prohibits employers from disciplining, discharging, penalizing, or threatening to discipline, discharge, or penalize employees for refusing to attend mandatory employer-sponsored meetings in which the employer communicates its opinion about religious or political matters. The Act defines “political matters” to include “the decision to join or support any … labor organization.” “Religious matters” are defined as those relating to religious belief, affiliation, and practice and the decision to join or support any religious organization or association.
The Act also prohibits employers from incentivizing employees to attend such meetings by providing a positive change in any employment condition, compensation, or other awards based on attendance.
The law does not prohibit communication of information that the employer is required by law to communicate, limit the rights of an employer to conduct meetings involving religious or political matters as long as attendance is voluntary, or limit an employer from communicating any information that is necessary for the employees to perform their required job duties.