SB3649 EngrossedLRB103 36890 SPS 67002 b

1    AN ACT concerning employment.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Worker
5Freedom of Speech Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings; legislative intent.
7    (a) The General Assembly finds that it is in the public
8policy interests of the State for all working Illinoisans to
9have protections from mandatory participation in
10employer-sponsored meetings if the meeting is designed to
11communicate an employer's position on religious or political
12matters.
13    (b) Employees should not be subject to intimidation
14tactics, acts of retaliation, discipline, or discharge from
15their employer for choosing not to participate in
16employer-sponsored meetings.
 
17    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
18    "Department" means the Department of Labor.
19    "Director" means the Director of Labor.
20    "Employee" has the meaning given in Section 2 of the
21Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act.
22    "Employer" has the meaning given in Section 2 of the

 

 

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1Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. "Employer" includes
2the State or any political subdivision of the State, unit of
3local government, or State or local government agency.
4    "Interested party" means an organization that monitors or
5is attentive to compliance with public or worker safety laws,
6wage and hour requirements, or other statutory requirements.
7    "Political matters" means matters relating to elections
8for political office, political parties, proposals to change
9legislation, proposals to change regulations, proposals to
10change public policy, and the decision to join or support any
11political party or political, civic, community, fraternal, or
12labor organization.
13    "Religious matters" means matters relating to religious
14belief, affiliation, and practice and the decision to join or
15support any religious organization or association.
16    "Voluntary" means, with respect to an action, that the
17action is not:
18        (1) incentivized by a positive change in any
19    employment condition, including, but not limited to, any
20    form of compensation or any other benefit of employment;
21    and
22        (2) taken under threat of a negative change in any
23    employment condition for non-attendance, including, but
24    not limited to, the provisions set forth in Section 15,
25    any negative performance evaluation, or any other adverse
26    change in any form of compensation or any other benefit of

 

 

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1    employment.
 
2    Section 15. Employee protections. An employer or the
3employer's agent, representative, or designee may not
4discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize, threaten to
5discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize, or take any
6adverse employment action against an employee:
7        (1) because the employee declines to attend or
8    participate in an employer-sponsored meeting or declines
9    to receive or listen to communications from the employer
10    or the agent, representative, or designee of the employer
11    if the meeting or communication is to communicate the
12    opinion of the employer about religious matters or
13    political matters;
14        (2) as a means of inducing an employee to attend or
15    participate in meetings or receive or listen to
16    communications described in paragraph (1); or
17        (3) because the employee, or a person acting on behalf
18    of the employee, makes a good faith report, orally or in
19    writing, of a violation or a suspected violation of this
20    Act.
 
21    Section 20. Right of action. An aggrieved employee may
22bring a civil action to enforce any provision of this Act no
23later than one year after the date of the alleged violation. A
24civil action may be brought by one or more employees for and on

 

 

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1behalf of themselves and other employees similarly situated.
2The court may award a prevailing employee all appropriate
3relief, including injunctive relief, reinstatement to the
4employee's former position or an equivalent position, back
5pay, reestablishment of any employee benefits, including
6seniority, to which the employee would otherwise have been
7eligible if the violation had not occurred, and any other
8appropriate relief as deemed necessary by the court to make
9the employee whole. The court shall award a prevailing
10employee reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
 
11    Section 25. Powers of the Department and civil penalties.
12    (a) The Department shall inquire into any alleged
13violations of this Act, that are brought to its attention by an
14employee or interested party, to institute the actions for the
15penalties provided in this Section and to enforce the
16provisions of this Act. In addition to the relief set forth in
17Section 20, an employer shall be assessed a civil penalty of
18$1,000 for each violation of Section 15, payable to the
19Department. Each employee who is subject to a violation of
20Section 15 shall constitute a separate violation.
21    (b) Upon a reasonable belief that an employer covered by
22this Act is in violation of any part of this Act, an employee
23or interested party may assert that a violation of this Act has
24occurred and bring an action for penalties in the county where
25the violation is alleged to have occurred or where the

 

 

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1principal office of the employer is located, pursuant to the
2following sequence of events:
3        (1) The employee or interested party submits to the
4    Department a complaint describing the violation and naming
5    the employer alleged to have violated this Act.
6        (2) The Department sends notice of complaint to the
7    named party alleged to have violated this Act and the
8    interested party. The named party may either contest the
9    alleged violation or cure the alleged violation.
10        (3) The named party may contest or cure the alleged
11    violation within 30 days after the receipt of the notice
12    of complaint or, if the named party does not respond
13    within 30 days, the Department issues a notice of right to
14    sue to the interested party as described in paragraph (4).
15        (4) The Department issues a notice of right to sue to
16    the interested party, if one or more of the following has
17    occurred:
18            (A) the named party has cured the alleged
19        violation to the satisfaction of the Director;
20            (B) the Director has determined that the
21        allegation is unjustified or that the Department does
22        not have jurisdiction over the matter or the parties;
23        or
24            (C) the Director has determined that the
25        allegation is justified or has not made a
26        determination, and has either decided not to exercise

 

 

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1        jurisdiction over the matter or has concluded
2        administrative enforcement of the matter.
3    (c) If within 180 days after service of the notice of
4complaint to the parties, the Department has not (i) resolved
5the contest and cure period, (ii) with the mutual agreement of
6the parties, extended the time for the named party to cure the
7violation and resolve the complaint, or (iii) issued a right
8to sue letter, the interested party may initiate a civil
9action for penalties. The parties may extend the 180-day
10period by mutual agreement. The limitations period for the
11interested party to bring an action for the alleged violation
12of this Act shall be tolled for the 180-day period and for the
13period of any mutually agreed extensions. At the end of the
14180-day period, or any mutually agreed extensions, the
15Department shall issue a right to sue letter to the employee or
16interested party.
17    (d) Any claim or action filed under this Section must be
18made within 3 years after the alleged conduct resulting in the
19complaint plus any period for which the limitations period has
20been tolled.
21    (e) In an action brought under this Section, an employee
22or interested party may recover against the employer any
23statutory penalties set forth in subsection (a) and injunctive
24relief. An interested party who prevails in a civil action
25under this Section shall receive 10% of any statutory
26penalties assessed, plus any attorney's fees and expenses in

 

 

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1bringing the action.
2    (f) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prevent
3an employee from bringing a civil action for the employee's
4own claim for a violation of this Act as described in Section
520.
 
6    Section 30. Notice. Within 30 days after the effective
7date of this Act, an employer shall post and keep posted a
8notice of employee rights under this Act where employee
9notices are customarily placed.
 
10    Section 35. Exceptions. Nothing in this Act:
11        (1) prohibits communications of information that the
12    employer is required by law to communicate, but only to
13    the extent of the lawful requirement;
14        (2) limits the rights of an employer or its agent,
15    representative, or designee to conduct meetings involving
16    religious matters or political matters, so long as
17    attendance is voluntary, or to engage in communications,
18    so long as receipt or listening is voluntary;
19        (3) limits the rights of an employer or its agent,
20    representative, or designee from communicating to its
21    employees any information that is necessary for the
22    employees to perform their required job duties;
23        (4) prohibit an employer or its agent, representative,
24    or designee from requiring its employees to attend any

 

 

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1    training intended to reduce and prevent workplace
2    harassment or discrimination;
3        (5) prohibits an institution of higher education, or
4    any agent, representative, or designee of the institution,
5    from conducting meetings or participating in any
6    communications with its employees concerning any
7    coursework, symposia, research, publication, or an
8    academic program at the institution;
9        (6) prohibits a political organization, a political
10    party organization, a caucus organization, a candidate's
11    political organization, or a not-for-profit organization
12    that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(4),
13    501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code from
14    requiring its staff or employees to attend an
15    employer-sponsored meeting or participate in any
16    communication with the employer or the employer's agent,
17    representative or designee for the purpose of
18    communicating the employer's political tenets or purposes;
19        (7) prohibits the General Assembly or a State or local
20    legislative or regulatory body from requiring their
21    employees to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or
22    participate in any communication with the employer or the
23    employer's agent, representative, or designee for the
24    purpose of communicating the employer's proposals to
25    change legislation, proposals to change regulations, or
26    proposals to change public policy; or

 

 

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1        (8) prohibits a religious organization from requiring
2    its employees to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or
3    participate in any communication with the employer or the
4    employer's agent, representative or designee for the
5    purpose of communicating the employer's religious beliefs,
6    practices, or tenets.