Effort to stop right to work dealt blow in Missouri court

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri judge said summaries of initiative petitions against right to work no longer fit since Gov. Eric Greitens signed a law to ban mandatory union fees.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation on Friday touted Republican Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem's ruling. It affects a series of ballot initiatives by state AFL-CIO president Mike Louis, who's trying to put right to work to a public vote.

Former Democratic secretary of state Jason Kander approved summaries of the initiatives on his last day in office.

Since then, Republican Greitens signed right to work into law.

Beetem said Kander's summaries don't note the ballot initiatives would undo state law. Efforts to get the measures on the ballot can move forward, but with revised summaries written by Beetem.