As pro-union supporters in Ohio begin preparations for the upcoming legislative session, their attention will also be focused on Missouri after comments by the state’s Lt. Governor rekindled the Right to Work debate last week.
Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder told an Associated Press reporter that he believes Right to Work is heading to the ballot in an attempt to bypass the state’s anti-right to work governor.
“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 during the American Legislative Exchange council conference.
IUOE Local 18 and other labor groups are anxiously waiting to see how Missouri’s fight will affect their own ongoing legislative battle.
“It’s disappointing that Gov. Nixon’s efforts could be all for naught,” said Pat Sink, IUOE Local 18’s business manager. “However, with an educated public, we feel confident that these shrewd tactics still won’t be enough to see Right to Work measures pass.”
Echoing the beliefs of Ohio Right to Work opponents, Missouri Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, expressed little optimism in the success of a Right to Work ballot initiative.
“I’m not convinced (a ballot measure) is a good option because of past states trying to take it to the ballot,” said Rehder in the Missouri Times. “The majority of the attempts at the ballot have not been successful and that’s a bit discouraging.”
Union supporters are gearing up for the next legislative session, one most certainly focused around Right to Work measures, with Colorado’s successful defeat of a similar ballot measure still fresh in their minds. 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 if a similar avenue is ever taken.
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.
A similar measure passed in Michigan, the one-time union stronghold. Proponents have made no secret that Ohio is the next battleground.
To that end IUOE Local 18 has bought space on a slew of billboards across the state and has been running ads on both TV and cable stations in an effort to educate the public about Right to Work.
For more information on the Right to Work and “Workplace Freedom” movements, please visit the website, www.protectohiosmiddleclass.org.
For more information:
Glenn Selig
PR firm: The Publicity Agency
Email:
Phone: (312) 546-3034
Website: www.ohioworkplacefreedom.org
SOURCE: Keep Ohio's Heritage
This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.
