Maryland Worker Freedom Act - Employment Standards Service (ESS)

This law does not apply to an employer that:

• Is a religious organization or an entity exempt from federal or State employment discrimination protections;
• Is a political organization that requires its employees to attend employer-sponsored meetings or to participate in communications with the employer, their agents, or other representatives for the purpose of communicating the employer’s political beliefs or purposes;
• Is an educational institution that requires a student or instructor to attend lectures on political or religious matters as part of the regular coursework at the institution;
• Is a nonprofit, tax-exempt training program that requires a student or an instructor to teach classroom instruction, complete fieldwork, or perform community service hours on political or religious matters that relate to the mission of the training program;
• Requires employees to undergo training to comply with federal or State law, including training related to the employer’s obligations under civil rights law and occupational safety and health laws; or
• Is a government unit holding a new employee orientation.

An employer is not prohibited:

• From communicating information required to be communicated by law;
• From conducting a meeting that involves religious or political matters if attendance and participation are voluntary;
• From communicating information that is necessary for employees to perform their jobs;
• For an employer that is an institution of higher education or an agent or other representative or designee of the institution, from meeting or participating in communications with its employees that are part of coursework, a symposium, or an academic program at the institution; or
• For an employer that is a governmental unit, from communicating information related to a policy or the employer or a law that the employer is responsible for administering.