Delaware Bans Mandatory 'Captive Audience' Meetings, Joining 13 Other States
Delaware has enacted a new state law that immediately prohibits employers from requiring employees to attend company meetings concerning politics, religion, or unionization. This legislation makes Delaware the 14th state to ban such 'captive audience' meetings. The new law, HB 84, prevents employers from firing or disciplining employees who decline to attend these meetings or receive communications conveying the employer’s views on religious or political matters. The definition of 'political matters' explicitly includes unionization, indicating that employer meetings on unionization are a primary target of the law. Employees who opt out of these meetings while on the clock must still be paid for that time. This state-level action adds complexity for multistate employers, especially as the federal standard under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) remains unsettled.
