Gov. Jay Nixon today vetoed controversial right-to-work legislation approved by the General Assembly and sponsored by Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield.
House Bill 116, designed to prohibit unions from requiring workers to join or pay membership dues, was quickly criticized by Nixon, who was widely expected to stamp his veto on the legislation, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
In his
veto letter, Nixon said the legislation would be harmful to the state’s economy and would expose businesses to unwarranted governmental interference and potential criminal prosecution.
“The ‘right-to-work’ moniker is a misnomer,” Nixon wrote in the letter. “Right-to-work laws create a less skilled workforce, drive down wages and directly interfere with a business owner’s right to contract.”
In response, the Associated Industries of Missouri expressed the organization’s disappointment with the decision.
“With a stroke of his pen, the governor is taking away a worker’s right to choose whether or not he or she wants to join an organization and have dues for that organization taken directly from their paycheck,” AIM President Ray McCarty said in a news release. “It seems that the governor is standing with labor unions and against workers’ freedom to choose whether or not they feel they are getting value from their union membership.”
Burlison’s bill marked the first time right-work-legislation has hit the governor’s desk. The House approved the bill 92-66 and the Senate voted 21-13 in favor, but neither represent enough votes to override Nixon’s veto, according to
SBJ archives.[[In-content Ad]]
