Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


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A new national monument in the town of Newcastle in Maine will honor FDR-era Labor Secretary Frances Perkins.

The first woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet, Perkins is credited with driving New Deal policies including the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage and Social Security.

Liz Schuler, president of the AFL-CIO, called Perkins an "unsung hero."

"... who has inspired millions of women, millions of workers and is directly responsible for so many of the rights and benefits we have as working people today across this country," Schuler emphasized.

Schuler said Perkins opened doors for women in the labor movement and helped secure workers' legal right to form a union and collectively bargain.

Recent polls show 70% of Americans support unions, a near record high. Labor leaders took advantage of the monument's designation to tout the continued gains they have made during the Biden Administration and induct him into the Labor Department's Hall of Honor.

Julie Su, acting U.S. Secretary of Labor, said union election petitions have doubled over the past four years while some 400,000 workers joined a union for the first time.

"We come to the table not to pressure parties to come to an agreement but to achieve outcomes that value workers for what they are worth," Su explained.

Su pointed out the Biden administration expanded overtime protections and made generational investments in the nation's infrastructure and energy systems to create good union jobs. President Joe Biden was also the first sitting president to march with workers on a picket line.

Su added Perkins knew the value of unions in helping alleviate widespread poverty following the Great Depression. The national monument honoring her legacy will comprise roughly 60 acres of what was once her family's homestead in Newcastle.


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Over the next few weeks, many Minnesotans will travel to big holiday light shows such as the Bentleyville attraction in Duluth and It is not just private vendors setting things up. Unions help, too, reflecting their desire to be community centric.

The nonprofit Bentleyville Tour of Lights along the shore of Lake Superior has become a popular draw in recent years.

Keith Musolf, a St. Louis County Commissioner and business representative for Iron Workers Local 512, said the towering tree, the centerpiece of the show, is a product of union workers who volunteer their time each year to make sure it is standing upright.

"That dates back 15 years now, the first year building the tree, then now putting it together in the three big sections every fall," Musolf explained. "Once the display is over in early January, we'll go back down there and take it down."

This time of year, he pointed out union contributions show up in other ways, such as floats for holiday parades and outdoor skating rinks fitted with concession stands. Musolf acknowledged labor organizations still face stigma issues with the broader public. But he feels volunteering this way shows members want community vitality and are not just solely focused on the status of their latest contract.

Coming out of the pandemic, policy experts noted a buzz in the labor movement with a flurry of organizing, especially among staff at places such as coffee shops. It has not translated to bigger numbers of union membership compared with past decades. Musolf noted it is not stopping groups like his from trying to bolster the local workforce.

"We do a bunch of different stuff right here in Hermantown where the Iron Workers' training center is located," Musolf pointed out. "And that's some of our motto, (which) is 'Building with integrity and pride for our communities.'"

The training center features an apprenticeship program. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members accounted for 13.3% of wage and salary workers in Minnesota last year, down one percentage point from the previous year.


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Union workers fighting for a fair contract at Recreational Equipment, Inc. Boston are drawing support from the state's growing worker co-op community.

REI is the largest customer co-op brand, but many worker-owned co-ops say it has failed to live up to its stated values or bargain in good faith.

Union member and REI Boston worker Sam Gilbert said workers need a greater say in scheduling, training, and a living wage.

"I see all of those as being progressive changes that we can do within the union," said Gilbert, "and in doing so we can really help REI out, too."

Gilbert said he's grateful for the backing of fellow unions and worker co-ops, especially following the loss of five senior co-workers.

REI maintains their dismissals were not related to union activities, and that it's committed to the contract negotiation process.

The union campaign at REI is part of a nationwide surge in retail labor organizing, that began during the pandemic as workers rallied for higher wages and improved safety conditions.

Michael Brennan, projects coordinator with the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, said it was important that members show solidarity with union workers - based on their shared value of workplace democracy.

"We're building connections between co-operators and workers at their local REI store," said Brennan, "so that they can help show up for any kind of pickets or rallies, or just meet for coffee and be a moral support."

Brennan said about fifty co-ops have signed onto a petition, calling on REI to respect its workers and reach a fair, first contract by the end of the year.

Union and co-op members say their common goals are ultimately good for business. State lawmakers agree and have created a new state agency to help facilitate their development.

Sarah Assefa, organizer with the Coalition for Ownership and Power, said the agency can provide the grant and loan guarantees as well as technical help to get started.

"There tends to be quite a bit of state infrastructure to support lots of the business world," said Assefa, "but it would be great to see even more state infrastructure to support worker-owned businesses - because it is such a special model."

A co-op coalition is asking the state for nearly 700-thousand dollars to help build a network of worker-owned co-ops across the Commonwealth. Assefa says that would help more businesses reinvest in their own communities rather than simply extract from them.



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