Although it failed to gain traction during the recently wrapped up legislative session of the Missouri General Assembly, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, maintains right-to-work legislation is key to growing the competitiveness of the Show-Me State.
Speaking from Hilton Garden Inn this morning as Springfield Business Journal's featured guest for its monthly 12 People You Need to Know editorial series, Burlison said right-to-work legislation was his focus going into the session this year. The proposed legislation would allow employees to decide whether to join or financially support a union at their place of employment.
"It would be similar if the chamber of commerce required all businesses to pay fees to the chamber even though they're not members of the chamber. That's the best analogy I can give," Burlison said. "What right to work does is it says those employees don't have to join, they don't have to pay, if they don't find value in the union."
The 37-year-old representative, who will seek re-election this year, said most people are "terrified" of the issue, a fear he said enveloped the topic during the session.
In other states, he said, it takes years to explain the issue to the public before right-to-work takes hold.
"There are many businesses in our country, when they're looking for places to locate, they will not even consider a state that forces members to join a union," Burlison said. "Missouri is one of those states. Last year, we lost 40,000 jobs because of our status in the manufacturing industry, while other states are gaining jobs."
He pointed to Beloit, Wis.-based Regal Beloit Corp. (NYSE: RBC), which
last year announced it would close its Springfield operation and lay off some 330 employees while transitioning the East Sunshine Street plant's manufacturing of motors and components from Springfield to other Regal facilities in the U.S. and Mexico. One such state is Texas, Burlison said, noting it's a right-to-work state.
Burlison, who works as a business analyst for Cerner Corp.'s operations at CoxHealth, also named Solo Cup's closure of its Springfield plant as a casualty of a lack of right-to-work status in Missouri. In the
closure, which involved 340 jobs cuts, Solo moved its Springfield operations to other states.
During this session, Burlison also took part in the successful override of Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of tax-cut legislation under Senate Bill 509.
"The drama that happens on a veto override is surreal," he said. "In my opinion, the tax cut wasn't enough. But I do think that it is historic. It will have a significant impact for years to come.
"While a half of a percent over a period of years phased in may not be what everyone wanted, if you're making $50,000 a year, that's $250 in your pocket every year that you get to keep."
Speaking to another hot-button issue facing the General Assembly, Burlison said Medicaid expansion in the state is possible, but not without reform.
"Most of the decisions about this issue are in the Senate. There are several senators who are arm-in-arm to defeat Medicaid expansion," he said. "Expanding it under the current system is not acceptable and will never happen.
"I don't see us expanding Medicaid in the state unless we expand managed care."
Medicaid expansion also failed to gain traction during this year's session.
