JEFFERSON CITY • The Missouri House gave on Wednesday initial approval to a measure prohibiting employers from requiring workers to pay fees to a labor organization as a condition of employment.
But that’s not enough to move the bill supporters call “right to work” to the state Senate.
The close vote would not be enough for the House to pass the measure, which would place it on the August 2014 ballot. To pass a bill, a constitutional majority of 82 representatives is needed. The vote was 78 to 68.
Bill sponsor Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, said right to work would make Missouri more attractive to businesses and increase employment in the state. He said workers should not be required to join unions if they did not want to.
“Missouri will benefit from this legislation and instead of being a state that is losing employees and jobs be a state that is gaining jobs,” Burlison said. “It is not right that any organization should have a government-created monopoly that guarantees members and revenues without their choice. Unions should fight for their members and earn their support.”
People are also reading…
Currently, employers cannot require workers to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. Where unions have negotiated for a union security clause, however, nonmembers may be required to pay agency or “fair share” fees for representation and other services provided by the union. These fees are less than the dues paid by members and cannot be used for anything other than costs for collective bargaining, grievance representation or contract administration.
Missouri voters last considered right to work in 1978, when it was rejected.
Supporters of the measure argue that states with right to work are better off economically, with employment growing faster than in states that do not have right-to-work laws. Opponents point out that average wages are lower and workplace injuries are higher. There are 24 states with right-to-work laws.
Direct comparisons, however, do not account for other differences between states, as an overview of published research on the issue in 2012 by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service concluded.
National conservative Republican groups have sent emails to members in support of right to work over the past few weeks. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, sent an email to House members urging their support. The American Conservative Union and FreedomWorks have also voiced support.
Minority Leader Jacob Hummel, D-St. Louis, said during debate that these “out-of-state interests” want to put profits and corporate executives ahead of the interests of workers in Missouri. “As long as they get a bigger and bigger piece of the pie they don’t care that it will make it harder for middle class families,” Hummel said.
Hummel said some Republicans were being pressed to vote for the bill in order to further the future political ambitions of some members. House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, is expected to run for statewide office in 2016.
After the vote, both sides claimed victory. Opponents of right to work point out that 78 is not enough to send the bill to the Senate, while supporters said it was a historic vote. Burlison said four more votes would not be hard to get. “Even if this is where it stops this is an absolute victory,” Burlsion said. “To get to 82 is a small step... we’ve set the low-water mark at 78.”
During the vote, 19 Republicans voted against right to work and two voted present. Several Republicans who did not vote have said they oppose right to work.
Burlison acknowledged that the bill was unlikely to move swiftly in the Senate, no matter when the House may send it. He said the Senate would probably wait until the last day to bring it up. Democratic senators have promised to filibuster right to work.
The bill is HB 1770.
