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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Anti-Union Law Fails in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (CN) - A right to work bill died on the Missouri House floor Wednesday as Republican lawmakers lacked the votes to override Gov. Jay Nixon's veto.

Missouri's Republican-dominated House voted 96-63 to override the Democratic governor's vote, well short of the 109 votes needed.

The bill would have prohibited union membership as a condition of employment. It was passed at the end of the legislative session in May.

Calling it a threat to workers and wages, Nixon vetoed the measure in June.

Right to work laws prohibit unions from collecting dues from workers who object to paying for the wages and benefits for which the unions have collectively bargained.

Supporters claim the law would help Missouri attract business, and therefore increase wages. Opponents said it would result in reduced wages and more dangerous working conditions.

Nixon called the failure to override his veto a victory for workers, families and businesses in Missouri and across the country.

"I thank the members of the General Assembly, both Democrats and Republicans, who sent a clear message to the nation that Missouri will stand by its workers and oppose attempts by outside special interests to cut wages and weaken the middle-class," Nixon said in the statement. "I look forward to working with leaders in the House and Senate on the bipartisan priorities that will truly strengthen our economy - like creating jobs, balancing budgets, investing in our local schools and making college more affordable."

Twenty-five states have so-called right to work laws. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president, built his career, and overcame a recall, by crushing his state's public workers' union. This week Walker said that if he is elected president, he will outlaw union membership for federal workers.

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