1 of 4
2 of 4
3 of 4
4 of 4
If the first round of statements is any indication, the hotly charged issue of whether to make Missouri a “right-to-work” state could make for the most interesting political theater in this year’s legislative session.
But the combatants might surprise you.
Right-to-work laws say that employees in a unionized workplace cannot be required to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Such laws exist in 22 states, blanketing the South and over half of the West, and are widely regarded as a tool to weaken or eliminate unions.
The Missouri Senate’s new President Pro Tem, Sen. Rob Mayer (R-Dexter) appears to have no higher priority than enacting right-to-work laws, and with a stunning 26-7 Republican majority, one would think he’d have no problem.
But it’s not the seven-member Democratic caucus, which opposes the measure—presumably after meeting in its broom closet—that would seem to pose a challenge for Mayer and others on the right. The real question is whether Missouri’s business community wants any part of this “pro-business” measure.
On Tuesday, six of the top business groups across the state held a press conference unveiling six legislative priorities upon which they all agreed. The groups included the RCGA and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce; the issues included standard fare such as holding down minimum wages, so-called tort reform, cutting some taxes, and the like.
But right-to-work—the hot-button topic du jour, Senate Bill No. 1, Sen. Mayer’s pride and joy—was nowhere to be found in the business coalition’s “Fix the Six” priority list (see the press release below). It didn’t merit a mention.
Karen Buschmann, the Chamber’s VP for communications, told me Wednesday that her organization was still studying the issue, and she expected a position to be taken by the end of the month. She acknowledged, however, that “there are a lot of different opinions on this” and said the six priorities agreed upon by the loose coalition of business groups were the ones that were “not controversial” among them.
The RCGA’s six-page legislative agenda also seems to have omitted any mention of right-to-work. I’d say the organization is to be congratulated for its moderation, but that may not help it when the leather starts flying in Jefferson City.
Such moderation doesn’t set well with former State Sen. John Loudon, who is now on the sidelines but still quite engaged on the issues. He’s appalled:
“There is an entrenched reticence by corporate St. Louis to challenge Big Labor. You have a handful of union businesses that get the lion's share of the business, so they won't complain,” he says. “But all around you we see GM leave, Ford, now Chrysler, AB and countless other Missouri businesses with their headquarters here, but all of their manufacturing in other states.
“Missouri and Illinois are losing population and Congressional power while the right to work states in the west and south are thriving. We are dying a death by a thousand cuts and a number of Missouri lawmakers are taking action despite the unwillingness of the business community to engage.”
Loudon and I disagree on the right-to-work issue completely—he and I would have it no other way—but at least he’s straightforward enough to call out the business community when he disagrees with it.
I say there are plenty of good arguments against right-to-work—it is unfair, it does not cost the state jobs and surely the corporations enjoy enough tools today to torture unions without it—but the likes of me aren’t invited to the debate.
No, this one is going to be an interesting intramural struggle among Republicans. And there’s at least a glimmer of hope that it could get a little nasty before it’s over, which would provide some rare entertainment in the upcoming session.
Consider the plight of poor Sen. Kevin Engler (R-Farmington), who reportedly was tied with Mayer in the Republican Senate pro tem race this year, but lost in a drawing. Or was it an old, Western draw?
Right-to-work led to his downfall, or so he suggested to the Post-Dispatch.
"I was accused of being a consensus-builder," Engler said, "and I'm proud of that."
Engler said he was unwilling to promise to shut down debate to pass a right-to-work bill. "That's one of the things that killed me," he said.
Methinks moderate Republicans will be in season shortly, and the fellow from Dexter is going a-hunting.
SLM co-owner Ray Hartmann is a panelist on KETC Channel 9’s Donnybrook, which airs Thursdays at 7 p.m.
