Voters in Missouri have overwhelmingly rejected a right-to-work law passed by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature that would have banned compulsory union fees — a resounding victory for organized labor that spent millions of dollars to defeat the measure.
Estimated 97% of the precincts reporting, the “no” vote on Missouri’s Proposition A, which supported the law, was running about 65 percent, with nearly 35 percent voting “yes.”
In previous year 2017, the right-to-work law passed Missouri’s Republican legislature and was signed by then-Gov. Eric Greitens. However, union organizers gathered enough signatures to keep it from going into effect pending the results of a statewide referendum. The rejection of Proposition A effectively kills the law.
“It’s a truly historic moment,” said Mike Louis, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO. “Tonight we celebrate, but tomorrow we’re getting back to work. We’re going to take this energy and momentum and build more power for working people across Missouri.”