Missouri could become the 26th state to adopt a right-to-work law next week, marking the first time in history that the law has been on the books in a majority of U.S. states.
That is if the Republican-led state legislature votes to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a right-to-work bill, which even supporters concede is not a sure bet.
State Rep. Bill Lant, R-Pineville, the sponsor of the bill and chairman of the legislature’s Workforce Standards and Development Committee, told the Washington Examiner that he didn’t know if he would have votes when the statehouse convenes for a special veto session Wednesday.
“We had 92 people vote in favor of the legislation. We need 109 to override … We are very, very close,” Lant said, noting that the legislature has already voted to override the governor about two dozen times. But he added that his fellow legislators were being lobbied hard from several directions. He expected that many wouldn’t decide until the last minute. His state senate counterparts also must find two more votes to sustain an override.
“When I was a salesman, I often found it highly advantageous to be the last person to talk to somebody,” he said.
Organized labor in the state is pushing back hard and has strong support from state Democrats. House Minority Leader Jake Hummel, D-St. Louis, is also secretary-treasurer of the Missouri AFL-CIO. Hummel did not respond to requests for an interview.
Daniel Mehan, president of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, said he was certain they had the votes in the state senate. The problem was that while several state representatives have indicated that they would vote to override, they would do so only if they are certain the override will succeed. No one wants to flip his vote for a losing effort. So, right-to-work fans will either get all of the votes they need or hardly any.
“It is very close but right now we’re a couple of votes shy. We’re pulling out all of the stops to get this done.” Mehan said. It is important to the state’s economy since a right-to-work law will entice businesses to relocate to the state, he said. Missouri ranks 42nd nationally in job creation, which he said has to be changed.
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. Right-to-work proponents argue that the workers themselves should decide whether they back a union.
Critics argue that security clauses are fair because all workers benefit from the union’s collective bargaining and workers can demand refunds on union costs unrelated to bargaining. However, workers typically only have the unions’ word for it on what the collective bargaining costs are and often find getting dues refunded difficult and time-consuming.
Right-to-work laws are associated with membership declines by unions, draining them of funds and political clout. Wisconsin’s public-sector unions were hit with steep losses after Republican Gov. Scott Walker changed state law in 2011 to effectively extend right-to-work to state and local government employees.
In addition to the Chamber, the Missouri effort has been backed by the state Farm Bureau. The conservative group Americans for Prosperity has been heavily involved as well.
Labor groups have quietly underwritten several nonprofit groups including Preserve Middle Class Missouri and We Are Missouri to make the case against the law. Neither group discloses its union connections on its website.
There is some evidence of disarray among opponents of right-to-work. A call to the Missouri AFL-CIO Friday began with an automated recording stating that a recent mailing to voters incorrectly identified a dozen lawmakers as having supported right-to-work.
A source at the federation, speaking on background, said the mistake was not its doing and that the erroneous letter came from “higher up the food chain.” The recording was apparently removed later in the day.
Americans for Prosperity spokesman Levi Russell said that even if lawmakers fail to override, they will get it passed soon. Nixon, who is term limited, will step down in 2016, and all of the declared Republican gubernatorial candidates back right-to-work.
“Right-to-work is going to happen in Missouri — it’s just a matter of when. This is about fairness and opportunity for all workers, and the momentum is clearly on our side. Just look at other states that have paved the way — Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana — they’re all adding jobs and doing great. Missouri is going to enjoy those same positive results, whether that happens next week or next year,” Russell said.
