(KTVI)- Opponents of labor unions think they can get a so-called Right-To-Work measure on the Missouri ballot this year. If they do, Missourians will get to vote on whether to outlaw mandatory union membership in the Show-Me State. Twenty-four states currently have Right-To-Work laws. Those laws say anyone who goes to work in any occupation where there is a labor union cannot be forced to join that union.
Supporters say Right To Work states have created more jobs than elsewhere. Missouri Republicans, led by House Speaker Tim Jones and Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, say Right-To-Work, or Freedom To Work, is a top priority. The Missouri Chamber Of Commerce is also supporting right to work.
Organized labor, of course, is opposed. Opponents say the plan lowers average wages. They also say it would help destroy labor unions and the gains they’ve made for workers.
Charles Jaco sits down with Bob Soutier, head of the St. Louis Labor Council, the umbrella group for organized labor in the metro area and Dr. Howard Wall, director of the John W. Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise at Lindenwood University.
