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Press Room Influential National Free-Market Organizations Urge Missouri Governor Eric Greitens to Champion Public Sector Union Reforms
| Influential National Free-Market Organizations Urge Missouri Governor Eric Greitens to Champion Public Sector Union Reforms |
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| Wednesday, April 26 2017 |
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ALEXANDRIA, VA – Today, a broad coalition made up of nearly two dozen of the nation’s largest and most influential free-market organizations, led by the Center for Individual Freedom (“CFIF”), sent a letter to Governor Eric Greitens congratulating him on Missouri becoming the 28th state to enact right-to-work legislation and urging him to go further by championing reforms to hold public sector unions accountable to their members and Missouri’s taxpayers at large. The coalition of organizations pointed to the successful public sector union reforms championed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in 2011 and urged that, “Missouri has a real opportunity in 2017 to join Wisconsin in leading government union reform.” Specifically, the organizations noted that “House Bill 251, a comprehensive government union reform package containing paycheck protection, regular recertification elections, union transparency requirements and prohibitions on union release time, is currently in the Senate and awaits final votes from both chambers” of the Missouri legislature. The letter goes on to state, “As the legislative session quickly comes to a close, we urge you to help Missouri become the next state to see government union reform become a reality.” “The reforms in House Bill 251 not only protect the rights of workers, but also bring immediate, demonstrable benefits to states enacting them, as Wisconsin's recent example proves so vividly,” said Timothy Lee, CFIF’s Senior Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs. “With Governor Greitens’ leadership, House Bill 251 provides a real opportunity for Missouri to become a model for the rest of the nation in terms of holding government unions accountable to their members and taxpayers,” CFIF President Jeffrey Mazzella said. “We urge Governor Greitens to lead the way on this important issue.” In addition to CFIF, the organizations making up the coalition include: American City County Exchange, American Commitment, American Conservative Union, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, American Legislative Exchange Council, ALEC Action, Center for Freedom and Prosperity, Center for Worker Freedom, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, Frontiers of Freedom, Institute for Liberty, Institute for Policy Innovation, Jeffersonian Project, Less Government, Missouri Club for Growth, National Taxpayers Union, 60 Plus Association, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, Taxpayers Protection Alliance and The Market Institute. Read the full text of the letter below. Download the letter here (.pdf). April 26, 2017 Governor Eric Greitens Dear Governor Greitens, In your first month in office, Missouri joined a growing majority of states to become the 28th state to pass right-to-work legislation. That achievement is even more extraordinary in the context of the years of previous unsuccessful attempts. Right-to-work states have seen greater worker freedom, better ability to compete for new business and greater employment growth than non-right-to-work states. We look forward to seeing the benefits right-to-work will bring to Missouri as well. Perhaps even more impactful, however, is government union reform. Unions that represent public sector workers exploit their unique ability not only to bargain with government, but also their power to help elect the parties with whom they bargain. For that reason, government unions should be held accountable to their members and to the taxpaying public at large. The State of Wisconsin recognized the need for accountability by the unions representing their government workers. Governor Scott Walker enacted government union reform in 2011 and, as of today, Wisconsin remains the only state to require government unions to hold recertification elections on an annual basis. Wisconsin's Act 10, which also included public pension reform, saved taxpayers over $5 billion in its first five years and made Governor Walker a nationally recognized leader in the realm of labor reform. It's now clear that Missouri also recognizes the potential impact of government union reform. House Bill 251, a comprehensive government union reform package containing paycheck protection, regular recertification elections, union transparency requirements and prohibitions on union release time, is currently in the Senate and awaits final votes from both chambers. With this legislation, and the progress it has already made, Missouri has a real opportunity in 2017 to join Wisconsin in leading government union reform. As the legislative session quickly comes to a close, we urge you to help Missouri become the next state to see government union reform become a reality. With the reforms included in House Bill 251, Missouri could serve as a model for the many states that are yet to consider such legislation. Missouri's taxpayers, government workers, and the rest of the country stand to benefit from its passage. Sincerely, Jon Russell Phil Kerpen Dan Schneider Jeremy Cady Grover Norquist Lisa B. Nelson Andrew F. Quinlan Matt Patterson Trey Kovacs Tom Schatz George Landrith Andrew Langer Tom Giovanetti Ashley N. Varner Seton Motley Tim Jones Pete Sepp James L. Martin Karen Kerrigan David Williams Charlie Sauer |
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