Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder speaking at the St. Louis Conservative Political Action Conference (Photo courtesy of the St. Louis Beacon)
With state lawmakers in Missouri back in session, the Show-Me state is once again front and center in the controversial Right to Work battle.
Speaking at the regional Conservative Political Action Conference, Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder bragged about his goal of making Missouri a Right-to-Work state.
“I am here to tell you, in 2014- I believe if we unite and again stay on offense- this is the year we can make Missouri a Right-to-Work state,” said Kinder as reported in the St. Louis Beacon.
Right to Work opponents remain equally defiant in their determination to defeat the measure once and for all.
“Lt. Gov. Kinder is a prime example of why we are fighting so hard against Right to Work in Ohio,” said Pat Sink, Ohio’s IUOE Local 18’s business manager. “If one determined person can keep the issue at the forefront of political talk, imagine what a determined and educated group of workers can do to defeat it. This may be happening in Missouri but the issues are similar to the battles we’re fighting in Ohio.”
In August, Kinder told an Associated Press reporter that he believes Right to Work is heading to the people for a vote in the form of a ballot amendment to bypass the state’s governor who does not want the measure passed.
“I believe we will pass Right to Work next year and bypass [Missouri Governor Nixon] entirely by putting it on the referendum ballot for voters,” said Kinder last month during the American Legislative Exchange council conference.
While some observers believe that a ballot initiative is a losing cause for Right to Work supporters, Sink knows that nothing can be taken for granted.
“We know we have to keep pressing forward and not ignore anything officials like Lt. Gov. Kinder have to say, regardless of how the current political landscape may look,” said Sink. “The key is education. We believe the more the public knows about Right to Work the more they will realize it’s a mistake for workers and the state altogether.”
In Ohio, union supporters are continuing to gear up for a legislative session that could be heavily focused on Right to Work measures. The state labor groups have continued to press forward with efforts designed to educate the public on the dangers of Right to Work and ultimately defeat it before it ever gets to a ballot measure.
Opponents of the Right to Work bills, sometimes called “Workplace Freedom,” contend that the initiative’s true purpose is to kill unions and worker protections, leading to a weaker middle class. Stripping workers of their rights and freedoms would allow business owners to lower worker pay, reduce worker benefits and ignore worker rights.
To keep voters well informed on the dangers of Right-to-Work, the IUOE Local 18 union-backed advocacy group Keep Ohio’s Heritage has been running ads on cable and network television designed to educate voters on the issue.
For more information on the Right to Work and “Workplace Freedom” movements, please visit the website, www.protectohiosmiddleclass.org.
Direct link: https://prnewschannel.com/2013/10/04/as-missouri-lt-gov-digs-in-on-right-to-work-policy-unions-mobilize-to-fight/SOURCE: Keep Ohio's Heritage
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