Yes on 'Prop A' means freedom for workers, more jobs

On Tuesday, Missouri voters will weigh in on Proposition A to determine the fate of Missouri's Right to Work law.

A yes vote would end forced unionism in Missouri, while a no vote would block workers from being protected by Right to Work.

Despite the many millions of dollars -- much of it in forced dues seized from workers -- spent by Organized Labor to confuse voters about Prop A, Right to Work is remarkably straightforward and simple.

A Right to Work law would simply mean that Show Me State workers can no longer be fired for refusing pay fees to a labor union.

It would not stop a single worker from voluntarily joining or paying dues to a union. Rather, it would give each worker the freedom to decide as an individual whether union officials deserve financial support.

This basic principle, that workers deserve freedom to choose which private organization to support, is why polling demonstrates Americans overwhelmingly support Right to Work, including strong majorities of Independent, Republican, and Democrat voters.

The benefits of Right to Work don't end with worker freedom of choice. Right to Work laws also have a long record of economic benefits for states and their workers.

As a result of their new Right to Work law, last year Kentucky enjoyed a surge in investments that created thousands of jobs.

Over the last decade, Right to Work states across the country have seen employment growth four times as fast as Missouri. Meanwhile, in states with Right to Work laws, workers end up with over $2,000 more in discretionary income with adjustments for cost of living.

Right to Work laws also make union officials more accountable to rank-and-file members.

With dues strictly voluntary, workers can withhold financial support from a union that is corrupt or puts its institutional interests ahead of what is best for rank-and-file workers.

There is nothing anti-union about voluntary union support.

Among the proponents of this view was Samuel Gompers, who founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886 and served as the longest-tenured president of the group that would later become the AFL-CIO.

As president of the AFL in 1916 he wrote, "The workers of America adhere to voluntary institutions in preference to compulsory systems which are held to be not only impractical but a menace to their rights, welfare, and their liberty."

Simply put, a yes vote on Proposition A is a yes vote for more economic opportunity and worker freedom in Missouri.

Once workers have the right to choose whether or not to financially support a union, labor officials will need to listen to their members and prove that expending union dues is a good use of their hard-earned money.

The union officials funding the anti-Right to Work campaign may oppose that level of accountability, but it is exactly how unions were intended to work. It's also why on Aug. 7 Missouri voters should vote yes on Prop A.

Mark Mix is president of National Right to Work Committee.