Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton praised the Missouri state legislature for rejecting a state right-to-work bill Wednesday, saying she was “disturbed” by the effort to weaken union power in the state.
Right to work supporters failed on a 96-63 to overturn a veto of the bill by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, falling 13 votes short of the number necessary.
“I applaud the leadership of Governor Jay Nixon and the bipartisan group of legislators who successfully blocked a harmful ‘right to work’ law in Missouri,” Clinton said.
She characterized the legislation as little more than an attack from big business on the power of organized labor.
“A number of states, bankrolled by powerful corporate interests, have passed these laws in recent years. Their name is misleading. Instead of respecting workers or protecting their rights, ‘right to work’ laws depress wages and benefits, undercut unions, and concentrate power in the hands of corporations and their allies. They’re bad for workers, bad for the economy, and bad for America,” she said.
She added that “right-wing attacks” on the labor movement are “nothing new” and were becoming more frequent. “I’ve been disturbed by repeated state-level attacks on basic protections that unions have fought hard for over the years, like a prevailing wage, union dues deductions, binding arbitration and collective bargaining.”
Right-to-work laws say a person cannot be forced to join or otherwise financially support a union as a condition of employment. Specifically, the laws ban so-called “security clauses,” a common part of most labor-management contracts meant to ensure that all workers back the union, even if they disagree with its activities. Fans say security clauses prevent workers from becoming “free riders” unfairly benefitting from union collective bargaining. Right-to-work proponents argue that the workers themselves should decide whether they back a union.
Unions detest the laws because they are associated with membership declines as members use their rights to opt out of membership. That drains union treasuries and saps its political strength.
Clinton is fighting hard for union support in the Democratic primary, facing a tough challenge on that front from rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Both spoke to the AFL-CIO’s executive council in July. The council subsequently issued a statement that they would hold off on making a presidential endorsement for the foreseeable future.
Some unions, such as the American Federation of Teachers and the International Association of Machinists have endorsed Clinton. AFT’s President, Randi Weingarten, is a friend of hers.
Others view Clinton with suspicion. Her husband Bill Clinton signed the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement in 1993 while he was president. Many in organized labor blame NAFTA for job losses to Mexico and other countries. She was a Wal-Mart board member from 1986 through 1992, a company that has long been targeted by organized labor for its anti-union policies. More recently, Clinton has refused to take a clear, unequivocal stance on President Obama’s trade agenda, particularly Trade Promotion Authority legislation and the Trans-Pacific Trade deal, both of which unions oppose.
