Nixon vetoes union bill

Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed a bill that would have prohibited any public employee from being required to pay dues or other fees to a labor organization without written or electronic consent.

House Bill 1891, sponsored by Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, passed in the state Senate with a vote of 23-7 and in the House by 109-49.

“Making it harder for teachers and mental health workers to exercise their constitutional right to organize is wrong and a waste of taxpayer dollars,” Nixon said in a news release. “Lawmakers should be supporting workers instead of attacking their constitutional right to organize for fair wages and safe workplaces.”

In Friday’s veto letter, Nixon said the bill would require public employees to annually authorize union dues and fees from paychecks and impose additional paperwork on employers.

“This effort was wrong in 2013, is wrong today, and will not receive my approval,” Nixon said, referencing similar legislation from Senate Bill 29 that he vetoed in 2013.

In a separate release, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry opposed the gubernatorial veto, saying Nixon’s position on the bill ran contrary to the majority of union workers’ views. The bill contains a provision prohibiting labor organizations from using members’ fees for political contributions.

“Employees have a right to say what is taken out of their paychecks for political campaigns,” Missouri chamber President and CEO Dan Mehan said in the release. “The legislation doesn’t keep an employee from making a contribution, but it gives that employee the choice.”

Citing a 2014 Susquehanna Polling and Research survey of union member households, the release stated 80 percent didn’t think taxpayer resources should be used to collect campaign contributions; 72 percent thought unions should collect dues themselves; and 58 percent supported paycheck protection legislation.

HB 1891 is similar to right-to-work legislation sponsored by Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield. His House Bill 1462 would prohibit a company and a union from signing a contract requiring workers to unionize. A hearing on the bill is not currently scheduled.