Right-to-work efforts resume in Missouri House

Efforts to make Missouri a right-to-work state picked up steam Tuesday.

The Missouri House Economic Development Committee heard testimony on the issue.

Missouri Treasurer Eric Schmitt, who was just sworn in yesterday, testified in support of right to work saying it would be a job creator.

Greg Mourad of the National Right to Work Committee says, “Companies looking to build or relocate strike the non-right-to-work states off the list right away. They won’t even consider them. So, by not having a right to work law, Missouri has out on the opportunity to even bid on a whole lot of projects that would bring jobs into the state. So, this is going to open up a lot of doors.”

Opponents say a right-to-work law is government overreach and would not benefit the state.

“We need to figure out why the Legislature feels as though they need to reach into the personal lives of businesses and the citizens of Missouri when they said the reason that they should be voted in here was to create less government interference,” said Missouri ALF-CIO President Mike Louis.

The law would prohibit mandatory union dues and compulsory union membership as a condition of employment.

The committee adjourned today without voting on any of the bills, but since right to work is an issue many Republican lawmakers, including the governor campaigned on in 2016, it is expected to become a reality in Missouri.