Missouri right-to-work measure fails in GOP-controlled House

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The national push to enact state right-to-work laws suffered a resounding defeat Wednesday in Missouri, ending a string of recent successes in the heartland.

Missouri's veto-proof GOP majorities in both chambers had made that state a prime target for those hoping it would become the 26th state to enact the plan prohibiting workplace contracts with mandatory union fees. Six of eight bordering states have passed it, and Wisconsin, Indiana and even Michigan -- headquarters of the United Auto Workers -- recently did, too.

The bill's failure in Missouri highlighted divisions among Republicans elected to represent areas with strong union support. With a 96-63 vote in favor of right to work, the measure fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto in the Missouri House, where the bill needed approval first before it could go to the Senate for a final vote.

Supporters said the bill would promote business and make Missouri competitive with other nearby states that adopted the union restrictions. Opponents argued it would weaken unions and could lead to lower wages. As in Wisconsin and Indiana, those who violated the Missouri measure would have faced misdemeanor charges.

Getting the bill to Nixon's desk was a challenge in itself, made possible only after GOP senators forced a vote on the measure in May in a move that led to a Senate shutdown and a days-long filibuster by upset Democrats.

Visitors packed in the House chamber broke into applause upon the bill's passage, and national opponents such as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton and unions praised lawmakers who voted against it.

"I would like to thank the state legislators who put aside their partisan differences and came together to uphold Gov. Nixon's veto," Teamsters president James P. Hoffa said in a statement. "They recognized that right-to-work is wrong for working families and is wrong for the State of Missouri. This has been a true victory for all Missourians."

Despite the failure, those who would like to see right to work adopted in Missouri say they plan to continue to push for the measure.

"Gov. Nixon is the roadblock between Missouri and more prosperity, after bowing down to union bosses he blocked the legislature and the will of most Missourians," Luke Hilgemann, CEO of the conservative group Americans for Prosperity said in a statement. "This isn't the end for right-to-work."