Right-to-work supporters needed 82 votes in the Missouri House of Representatives for right-to-work to appear on the ballot in August. They didn't get it because of strong bipartisan opposition to the anti-worker measure. The Missouri Times reported:
Today the house failed to get the 82 votes required for final passage of the controversial “Right-to-Work” legislation. The bill was perfected today in the House by a vote of 78-68, lacking a majority of the full house and marking a blow for Right-to-Work proponents.
Speaker Tim Jones has made the issue a top priority during his tenure as speaker. While early approval of bills only requires a majority of members present, the bill will need 82 votes — a majority of the entire chamber — to advance to the Senate where Senate leaders have been remarkably unenthusiastic about its passage.Groups linked to the Koch brothers converged on Missouri recently to pressure lawmakers to vote for right-to-work-for-less.
Progress Missouri put out a statement:
Extremists failed to achieve the 82 votes required to advance the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) so-called ‘right to work’ legislation out of the Missouri House today, falling short with only 78 votes in support. Speaker Tim Jones and Majority Floor Leader John Diehl, both local ALEC leaders, were defeated by an impressive bipartisan alliance of Representatives who stood up to Washington, DC corporate front groups driving the attacks.
“Today’s defeat of ALEC’s so-called ‘right to work’ legislation demonstrates that Missourians on both sides of the aisle realize that attacking workers on behalf of Wall Street extremists is wrong for Missouri. This is a good day,” said Sean Soendker Nicholson, Executive Director of Progress Missouri. “We urge members of the General Assembly to reject anti-worker legislation and instead focus on building an economy that works for all Missourians.”
This vote is a victory for Missouri workers in the face of aggressive advocacy by national extremists groups like ALEC and the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity, who made certain local ALEC leaders cued up the so-called ‘right to work’ laws their corporate backers covet for Missouri.Right-to-work supporters still have until the Legislature adjourns on May 16 to push the legislation, but the bipartisan opposition will make it tough.
