Missouri voters have voted against a right-to-work law banning mandatory union fees in workplace contracts, according to www.pbs.org. The Aug. 7 vote was a major victory for unions, which allocated millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat Proposition A.
The right-to-work law originally was enacted in 2017 by Missouri's Republican-led legislature and governor. However, it never took effect because unions gathered enough petition signatures to force a public referendum on it, arguing the measure would have led to lower wages. Business groups supporting the law said it could have led to more jobs. Results from economic studies were inconclusive.
Twenty-seven other states have similar laws against compulsory union fees, including five Republican-led states that have acted since 2012—Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
