Ahead of an August ballot referendum, unions are fighting and spending millions to keep union dues mandatory in Missouri.
In 2017, Missouri became the nation’s 28th Right-to-Work state, which means that workers who work at unionized companies cannot be fired for refusing to pay union dues or fees.
However, before the law could take effect, unions quickly gathered signatures to challenge the law through a ballot referendum, which will occur in August.
Obviously, with millions of dollar per year at stake, unions are vehemently opposed to losing the right to have workers fired if they do not pay union dues or fees.
As a result, unions from around the country are pouring millions into Missouri to blitz the airwaves with ads in the hopes of stopping the state from becoming the 28th right-to-work state, reports the News & Observer.
Unions from around the country are pouring money into Missouri ahead of a statewide vote that could ban mandatory union fees at workplaces, just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that dealt a blow to public sector unions.
The group fighting a ballot measure that would make Missouri a right-to-work state has outraised its opponents by nearly $6 million over the past four months.
Formed last year in Jefferson City, We Are Missouri had already raised more than $5.4 million during the last quarter, according to reports released this week by the Missouri Ethics Commission. But a recent flood of money from out-of-state unions from New York to California, including groups affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and United Food & Commercial Workers, drove their haul since the beginning of April to more than $7.4 million.
According to the News & Observer, the union group We Are Missouri spent $6.8 million on advertising during the second quarter of 2018, far more than “right-to-work” proponents spent.
Missouri voters will decide on August 7th if their state becomes a “right-to-work” state, or remains a mandatory union-fee state.
You don’t have to work a union job, and it is not right to work a union job and not pay your dues. It’s just like any other club you join and you have to pay dues to be in. But this law wants everyone else to pay but you and still get the benefits of the union. Everyone want something for nothing theses days. LIKE I SAID YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK A UNION JOB. BUT THOSE WHO HAVE FOR YEARS DON’T NOT WANT YOU THERE IF YOUR NOT GOING TO PAY YOUR DUE. It’s not the government’s right to say otherwise.