A proposal similar to the right-to-work legislation that brought 30,000 protesters to Wisconsin’s capitol could soon be sparking debate in Missouri’s Congress.
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer supports making Missouri a right-to-work state along with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, according to a senate news release.
Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville, “Bars employers from requiring employees to engage in or cease engaging in certain labor practices” and is listed on the senate’s informal calendar, according to a news release and mo.gov.
“Right-to-work is not about whether unions can continue to operate in Missouri, rather it is about removing a legal barrier that is harming our state’s ability to compete for jobs that impact the 89 percent of Missourians that are not union members,” Ridgeway said in a news release.
Gov. Jay Nixon’s spokesman, Scott Holste, said in an e-mail Nixon has stated he does not favor right-to-work legislation.
In the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s news release, the group cites its reason for supporting making Missouri a right-to-work state as a way to increase job opportunities for Missourians.
“By simply making sure that paying dues or joining a union can no longer be a condition of getting or keeping a job, we can bring more jobs to our state,” Mayer said in a news release. “By better competing with our neighbors, especially when it comes to manufacturing, we can put more Missourians back to work.”
According the news release, six out of eight of Missouri’s surrounding states are considered right-to-work sates.
“Tennessee, the only ‘right-to-work’ state with a comparable unemployment rate to Missouri, gained jobs in 2010 while Missouri lost jobs,” the news release stated.
Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, did not respond to a request for comment.
According to a news release from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the organization said it performed a review process which involved surveying the Chamber’s membership consisting of business owners and managers across the state of Missouri.
According to the news release, 94 percent of members who took the survey were in support of Missouri taking a position on the subject, and 87 percent said Missouri should be in favor of supporting right-to-work legislation.
Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed said their companies’ businesses were disadvantaged from Missouri not being a right to work state. Chamber President and CEO Dan Mehan said the survey showed support for a law making Missouri a right-to-work state.
“Our members believe that a right-to-work policy could open the door to businesses moving to Missouri – as well as help keep vital companies in our state and encourage rehiring and new hiring,” Mehan stated in a news release.