Missouri House sustains Governor Nixon’s veto of “Right to Work” legislation

The Missouri House of Representatives Wednesday came up short of the number of votes needed to override Governor Nixon’s veto of House Bill 116, referred to as the “Worker’s Freedom Bill” or “Right to Work”.

When the bill to allow workers the right to refuse to join a union when taking a job passed the House of Representatives during the 2015 legislative session, it did so with 92 votes. On Wednesday, the effort to override the governor’s veto garnered 96 votes, still well short of the 109 needed to override.

The bill was seen as an economic development tool, making Missouri a “Right to Work” state as most of the surrounding states are already. Throughout the debate Wednesday, representatives cited personal experiences about companies not considering their districts due to the fact that Missouri is not a Right to Work state.

“It is a shame Missouri has missed the opportunity to join 25 other states in being eligible for some economic development opportunities,” said Ray McCarty, president of Associated Industries of Missouri. “We will continue to advocate for right to work in future legislative sessions.”