Missouri unions fear Governor-elect’s Right to Work promise

Following the results of last month’s election, pro-union groups in Missouri could now be faced with a tougher battle than they originally hoped for in preserving the state’s Right to Work status.

With the victory of Republican Governor-elect Eric Greitens, many fear that he will follow through on his promise to sign Right to Work legislation within his first year in office.

The Governor-elect met with Republican lawmakers just days after the election to discuss and list the priorities of his administration: passing a Right to Work law was reportedly chief among them.

“It’s no secret that Greitens’ administration will be pushing for Right to Work legislation,” says Richard Dalton, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 18 in Ohio. “Anyone who cares about worker rights and the middle class should do everything in their power to tell legislators that Right to Work has no place in Missouri.”

Since the supermajority of Missouri’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry favor Right to Work, stopping any proposed legislation will be a lot more difficult without an executive branch willing to veto it. Current Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the Right to Work law Missouri lawmakers passed in the spring of 2015.

Greitens’ opponent, Democratic candidate Chris Koster, vowed that any effort to pass Right to Work laws during his administration would be shot down.

“It’s a huge setback but there’s still hope,” says Dalton. “But unions have never been afraid of hard work, so I know they’ll continue to fight until the bitter end.”

Right to Work laws allow individuals in certain industries to operate without paying the necessary union dues. Business aligned proponents of such laws claim that they decrease unemployment while opponents assert that the laws drive wages down and force hard working families into poverty.

Opponents of Right to Work measures claim that the laws result in decreased worker rights and ultimately damages the middle class.

For more information on Right to Work in Ohio, visit: http://protectohiosmiddleclass.org