The Legislature recently enacted and the governor signed P.A. 22-24 “an Act protecting Employee Freedom of Speech and Conscience.” This act ostensibly revises Connecticut’s Free Speech Statute, Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-51q, in order to add protection for employees who refuse to attend “captive audience meetings” about political and religious matters mandated by their employees. This bill was strongly supported by various labor unions, including the AFL-CIO and SEIU.

Unfortunately, in the legislators’ efforts to get the bill passed, it was subject to a last-minute amendment that effectively eliminated emotional distress, any future economic damages, and punitive distress damages as remedies. The bill used to provide that an offending employer “shall be liable to such employee for damages caused by such discipline or discharge, including punitive damages, and for reasonable attorney’s fees as part of the costs of any such action for damages,” but the employer is now liable only for “the full amount of gross loss of wages or compensation, with costs and such reasonable attorney’s fees as may be allowed by the court.”