From Missouri Digital News: https://mdn.org

JEFFERSON CITY - The debate revolving around so-called "Right to Work" is the top vetoed issue facing outside campaigns in preparation for the Wednesday, Aug. 16, legislative veto session.

The bill would ban the ability to require an employee to join or pay dues to a union.

For proponents of the legislation, passing "right to work" means Missouri is on the same level as economically competitive states.

"Missouri has lost over 2 billion dollars in adjusted gross income over the last 20 years and a lot of that money has gone to Right To Work states like Texas, Arizona and North Carolina," said Rachel Payton, the deputy state director of conservatively-funded Americans for Prosperity. "While those states are seeing a 42 percent gain in total employment, and in non-Right To Work we're only seeing 19 percent."

According to critics of the legislation, Right-to-Work could have far-reaching consequences in Missouri.

"Even the sponsors of the bill have admitted that once Right To Work bill passes, wages are going to go down for workers," said Mike Louis, the president of the Missouri AFL-CIO.

According to Louis, workers' wages decrease by $2,500 in states with right-to-work legislation.

"So the family quits paying taxes on five-thousand dollars of their income to the state into the school districts," Louis said. "You multiply that by the number of working families in the state, you're talking one hell of a lot of money."

The veto session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16.

• Get the bill [http://www.mdn.org/cgi-bin/bills/billhttp.exe?FORM=HB&NUM=116&YEAR=2015]
• Get the radio stories [http://www.mdn.org/2015/STORIES/RIGHTW98.HTM]

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