CC Minutes - 04/27/09 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Wilson believed the bill was dead, although it was in the Revenue Committee. She said the bill had not yet had a hearing and April 29 was the dead bill deadline. She said there was always a chance that the language could be placed in another bill and asked the council for direction. Councilor Poling moved to amend the motion to change the position to Priority 3 Support. The motion died for lack of a second. The main motion passed, 5:3; councilors Poling, Solomon and Brown voting no. Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to ratify the IGR Commit- tee’s majority position of Monitor on SB 519 prohibiting employers from taking adverse employment action related to religious or political matters. Ms. Wilson stated that SB 519 had passed out of committee that morning with an amendment that clarified it did not prohibit mandatory meetings of executives or their administrative staff to discuss issues related to religious or political matters. She noted the bill was introduced on behalf of a labor organization to prohibit anti-union meetings and a requirement to attend those meetings with adverse action against employees who chose not to participate. She said there would be a minority report on the bill. She said that concerns had been expressed about the bill’s unintended consequences and potential preemption of the National Labor Relations Act. Mayor Piercy asked if the latest version of the bill would still present a problem for employers. City Attorney Glenn Klein said that a short discussion of the implications by legal counsel was included in the agenda packet on page 181, but he was not certain if the recent changes to the bill had been reviewed. He would request a review if the council wished. Councilor Ortiz expressed concern with the bill and felt that a Monitor position was not adequate to assure that employees’ rights were not in jeopardy. In response to a question from Councilor Zelenka, Ms. Wilson explained that the amendment clarified that the bill would not prohibit mandatory meetings of executives or administrative staff to talk about issues related to the bill, but did not address any of the concerns raised by legal counsel. Councilor Zelenka agreed with Councilor Ortiz regarding protection of employee’s right to refuse to participate in things they objected to. He would support a motion to oppose. Mayor Piercy asked if a Monitor position would convey the council’s wish to see those employee protections in place, but within the realm of what it was legal for the City to do. Ms. Wilson said she would convey whatever message the council wished. She recommended a Neutral position for that message. Mayor Piercy said she wanted to express strong support for protection of people in the work place, while protecting the City against legal problems. Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Ortiz, moved to substitute a motion to adopt a Neutral position on SB 519. MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 27, 2009 Page 5