In re Hawai'i Government Employees Ass'n, Local 152

**Union Loses Fight Over Political Materials on Workplace Bulletin Board** The Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) filed a complaint against the State of Hawaii after the state removed political campaign materials from a union bulletin board at a government workplace. The union argued this violated workers' free speech rights, their right to support each other, and their collective bargaining agreement. The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state employer. The court found that removing the political campaign materials from the union bulletin board did not violate any of the workers' rights that the union claimed were broken. The court dismissed the union's complaint entirely. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling clarifies that employers may have the right to control political content on workplace bulletin boards, even union bulletin boards, without violating workers' free speech or other workplace rights. Government employees should understand that their employer may be able to restrict certain types of political materials in the workplace. However, this doesn't necessarily affect other union activities or workers' rights to organize and support each other in non-political matters. The specific rules may vary depending on your workplace, union contract, and local laws.