By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – Union leaders in Missouri are gearing up to fight a legislative effort to turn the Show-Me State into a right-to-work state.
Several labor leaders and supporters met behind closed doors today in Jefferson City to talk about a right-to-work measure that incoming Senate President Pro-tem Rob Mayer (R, Dexter) lists as one of his top priorities for next year.
In right-to-work states, a non-union employee can refuse to pay union dues, even if a majority of co-workers have voted to unionize. In Missouri, non-union workers at unionized companies must still pay dues or risk losing their jobs.
Bob Soutier is President of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, Missouri AFL-CIO.
"Based on what the Tea Party says about less government, it appears to me that this is more government intervention in the workplace, where you're addressing only 13 percent of (Missouri's) workforce," Soutier said. "I don't know why we want to waste our time in the legislature on a non-issue that will not provide any jobs for the state."
Soutier went further, saying that making Missouri a right-to-work state would be a step backward.
"Medium wage, more people on the poverty level, education is less...you name it, it's worse in right-to-work states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas," Soutier said.
No specific strategy was decided today. Soutier says more meetings are planned before the legislative session begins in January.
In 1978, Missouri voters rejected a right-to-work proposal that had made it onto the ballot.
There are currently 22 right-to-work states in the United States.