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What I've Been Reading This Week: Right to Work Edition


There have been quite a few developments in regard to right to work around the country over the past few weeks.  Whether it has been a further development in West Virginia, a proposed bill to turn Pennsylvania into the next right to work state, an attempt to block right to work in Missouri, or positive news out of Michigan about the impact of right to work in the state, there has been no shortage of news to follow.  I think it is a good time to take a break and look at what is going on with right to work issues around the country with an article dedicated to the topic.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


West Virginia Senate Votes to Override Governor's Veto

Readers might recall that West Virginia moved rather quickly to pass right to work legislation in the state which has since come under fire (with an injunction having been granted to halt implementation of the law for the time being).  The West Virginia Legislature subsequently passed SB 330 which aimed to clean up the previously approved right to work bill (by removing provisions that would seem to exempt building and construction trade unions), however, Governor Jim Justice vetoed the bill last Wednesday on the grounds that the matter should play out in the court system first.  Afterward, the West Virginia Senate voted 21 - 12 to override the veto (West Virginia only requires a simple majority to overcome the Governor's veto.)  At this point, it would take a similar vote in the West Virginia House of Delegates for SB 330 to become law without the Governor's signature.  It goes without saying that with this veto (and the pending litigation), there are certainly a lot of moving pieces in regard to right to work in the state of West Virginia...


Could Pennsylvania Be the Next Right to Work State?

Matt Bernardini at The Public Opinion wrote a recent note about attempts in Pennsylvania to turn the state into the next right to work state in the near future.  A set of bills, called the "Open Workforce Initiative", would seek to eliminate mandatory dues to unions for state employees.  Supporters of the bill have argued that the bill will increase economic growth (see the article below in regard to Michigan's economic growth for further review) and stands a realistic chance of becoming law, in part because of the steady decline of unions over the past few decades.  This one has a ways to go before becoming law...but it certainly stands a fair shot of becoming law.


Right to Work Appears to Have Positive Impact in Michigan

Interesting note the uptick in per capita personal income growth for workers in Michigan.  According to the article from Michigan Capitol Confidential, the growth has been faster than 40 other states in the past year.  The article suggests this steady growth can be attributed to Michigan's right to work law which has been in effect for nearly 5 years now.  Perhaps the right to work law is not the only thing that has propelled personal income growth...but it certainly has not stymied it.


Attempt to Repeal Missouri's Right to Work Bill Proceeds

Recently, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft signed off on the wording of a petition that would put Missouri's right to work law in front of voters.  Under Missouri law, to get a referendum on the ballot in regard to the right to work law, signatures totaling 5% of voters from two thirds of the state's congressional districts must be collected on the petition by August 28, 2017.  While supporters of the petition (such as the secretary-treasurer for the Missouri AFL-CIO) has indicated there is plenty of time to get the necessary signatures, it will be interesting to see if it can be done in time (and how many of those signatures are contested).

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