After defeat of right to work, Missouri Democrats hope labor energy can flip seats

With last week’s defeat of right to work still fresh in Missouri voters’ minds, Democrats are hoping to capitalize on pro-union energy to flip seats and keep the Republican-dominated legislature from returning to the issue.

Democrats see the resounding 67.5 percent-32.5 percent defeat of the right-to-work referendum, Proposition A on last week’s ballot, as one in a “consistent series of victories” that also includes the election of Lauren Arthur, a Democrat, to a vacant Missouri Senate seat previously held by Ryan Silvey, a Republican, said Stephen Webber, chair of the Missouri Democratic Party.

“The Republican establishment is so deep in the pockets of their big-money donors that they’ve lost touch with the working people of Missouri, and the massive defeat of Prop A is empirical proof of that,” Webber said at a news conference at a Communications Workers of America union office in Lee’s Summit.

Webber appeared alongside union leaders and Democratic candidates for the Missouri House and Senate who called on Republicans to let the referendum be the final word on right to work. By defeating Proposition A last week, voters repealed the right-to-work law passed last year by Missouri lawmakers and signed by then-Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican.

“As long as we keep sending the same people who passed Prop A and enthusiastically voted for Prop A to the state legislature, then Missourians can expect to have things like Prop A shoved down their throats again by the Republican super majority,” Webber said.

One such candidate, Hillary Shields, is running for the Missouri Senate in a district held by Sen. Mike Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit, who voted for right to work. She said she didn’t understand why he supported it to begin with.

“It’s time for our elected officials to stand up and say if they’re going to continue to support these policies that hurt working families,” Shields, of Lee’s Summit, said.

Cierpiot said later in a phone interview that he worked for Southwestern Bell for 38 years and spent years as a member of the CWA union, including five years as a union steward. He said he thought the U.S. needed more private-sector unions, but he thought right to work could go hand in hand with that.

“I’m not anti-labor,” Cierpiot said. “I just think unions should earn their numbers.”

Labor appears to be bracing for another attempt by Missouri Republicans to pass right to work, but Cierpiot said he wouldn’t support that.

“I think elections matter, and I think the pro-labor people did a good job in this election defeating it, and I will not support bringing it back up,” he said.

Any member of the General Assembly could file a right-to-work bill.

“Bur I don’t think it will get traction, and I certainly will not support it,” Cierpiot said.

In right-to-work states, workers at unionized workplaces can opt out of paying any fees to the union as a condition of employment. They’re already allowed to opt out of full union membership and pay only for the cost of collective bargaining with the employer.

Supporters argue that right to work gives workers the freedom and holds unions accountable for the quality of their representation. They say the policy would also bolster Missouri’s economy.

Critics say the policy undermines unions, drives down wages and creates a “free rider” problem where some workers aren’t paying for the benefits they receive from collective bargaining.

Following the right to work repeal, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, said he was “still absolutely optimistic” about the future of Missouri and pledged to work for economic growth, infrastructure and workforce development. He didn’t address specifically whether he was interested in pursing right to work again.

Travis Hagewood, who is running for Republican Rep. Dan Stacy’s seat representing part of eastern Jackson County, said he’s a member of the United Automobile Workers union.

“Right to work, to me, was personal,” Hagewood said. “That’s actually one of the reasons I decided to run.”

Webber said Democrats can’t “rest on (their) laurels,” but the party has momentum.

“But we have a positive track record of Democratic enthusiasm that we expect to continue into November,” Webber said.

Shields said she and fellow Democrats are running to make sure right to work doesn’t come back.

“What it’s going to take to put this to bed is to fire the guys that voted for it in the first place,” Shields said. “They will never learn their lessons if we keep sending the same people to Jefferson City.”

This story was originally published August 14, 2018 at 5:17 PM.