Missouri House Republican leaders continue to push for 'right to work' bill

JEFFERSON CITY • The prospects of a second vote on “right to work” remain uncertain, but state House Republican leaders said they continue to work on trying to gather enough votes to advance the measure.

Right to work, as supporters call it, would bar employers from requiring employees to pay fees to a union as part of a contract agreement with a labor organization. Currently, workers at a union employer can opt out of paying dues for union membership, but may be required to pay fees for the collective bargaining and other representation services provided by the union.

House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, would not say Thursday when the measure might be brought to the floor or if he’d bring it up even if there were not the 82 votes needed to send the bill to the Senate. The initial vote fell short with only 78 “yes” votes.

“We want to make sure we have the votes,” Jones said.

When asked about whether he was holding up bills of Republicans who were not supportive of right to work or doing any arm-twisting, Jones said, “We don’t engage in those kinds of practices.”

Some Republicans who voted against the measure said there was pressure on the vote but that it had slacked off recently – potentially because leadership knows they do not have the votes.

Rep. Jeff Grisamore, R-Lee’s Summit, was absent on the first right to work vote and has gotten pressure from both sides on the issue but not as much lately. “It’s been quiet,” said Rep. Jeff Grisamore, R-Lee’s Summit. “It seems to be dead for sure in the Senate.”

Rep. Ron Hicks, R-St. Peters, voted against the bill and said he’s gotten support from his district. He said the pressure to vote for the bill had “died off.” He said he suspects the reason his bills have not been moving forward is the right to work issue.

“You can’t necessarily straight blame it on that,” Hicks said. “As a freshman I was able to get four bills to the floor and three signed by the governor. This year I can’t get a single bill on the floor even though one has been on the calendar for weeks.”

Marie French is a reporter in the Jefferson City bureau. You can follow her on Twitter @mre545.

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