This year, union groups in Missouri—a state not exactly known for being a bastion of workers’ rights—crushed a bill that would have made it harder for unions to attract new members and funding.
It a was a moment to pump our fist in the air and a reminder of what working people can accomplish when we turn up and vote.
That’s why we need to get heard this November and vote. Sign up today to get started.
The legislation Missouri pummeled is widely seen as an existential threat to workers across the country. So-called “right to work” laws are designed to bankrupt unions and leave workers undefended when corporations come around to pick their pockets. So-called “right to work” laws are designed to bankrupt unions and leave workers undefended when corporations come around to pick their pockets. A better name for them might be: “the right to work for less.”
So far, California hasn’t adopted these staunchly anti-worker laws. But that could change: A group called the Freedom Foundation is aiming to shrink union ranks across California, Oregon, and Washington by flooding the media with messages about how employees can stop paying union fees. The group is feeling especially energized after the Supreme Court’s decision to allow millions of public sector workers to stop paying their own union fees.
These anti-labor groups may have money and they may have power, but they can be stopped when working people stand together and say: “Enough.” In Missouri, a small army of rank-and-file union members worked together with activists to collect enough signatures to put a repeal referendum on the ballot that would boot the anti-labor law. Then they knocked on thousands of doors throughout the state to get the votes they needed. In the end, they struck it down by a margin of more than two to one—not bad for a midwestern state that backed Donald Trump all the way.
Workers are under attack in this country, from Cleveland to Columbia to California, but our victory in Missouri shows us how we win.The stakes couldn’t be higher, and organized labor is still on the ropes, but we can get results when working people decide to come together and push back.
By signing our petition and pledging to vote in November, you can help us fight these forces the most effective way possible: at the ballot box. Sign here: http://ufcw770.org/vote/