What We're Watching | Is Right to Work Going Away?

What We're Watching, a weekly summary from the team at Boss Consulting HR, to highlight the ever-moving parts that is Human Resources.

Federal Update

Are Right-To-Work Laws Soon to be Banned Nationwide? Here's What We Know.

What are right-to-work-laws? → Laws that “prohibit employers and unions from entering into agreements requiring every worker … to pay fees to the union – even if [they] are not union members.”

A bill was introduced earlier this month that seeks to ban right-to-work laws on a federal level. These laws currently stand in 27 states and are not in effect in the others. With right-to-work laws in place, employees who aren’t paying union dues “reap the benefits of collective bargaining” and are essentially “free riding” on the wins that unions get for workers.

Unions have been gaining worker support, standing at their highest approval rating in years. But this does not mean that nonunion workers want to join the labor union themselves, even if they support the right to unionize.

While there is an argument for both sides, the bill is not expected to pass the Senate. Even if chances are slim, the legislation has been introduced and we’ll keep you updated on any movement.

Did You See the Legislation? Here's What it Means for Workplace Nondisclosure Agreements.

After several delays, the SPEAK OUT Act advanced in the senate this month. The bill cracks down on nondisclosure agreements and has earned bipartisan support.

Under the Act, nondisclosure agreements would become legally null and void in cases of workplace assault and sexual harassment claims.

Even with bipartisan support, the bill has earned its fair share of pushback, and its fate is yet to be seen. We will keep you updated when we know more. In the meantime, if you want to learn more, we recommend catching up on Bloomberg Law’s Daily Labor Report here.