Voters will decide in less than a week whether Missouri will become a right-to-work state, potentially weakening unions. But it’s not just union members and labor groups opposing Proposition A – environmentalists are standing against the right-to-work-proposition as well. Dennis Roach is a former engineer and union member and currently is a member of the Sierra Club. He says unions are on the front line of environmental protection and were created to address issues of workplace safety.
The vote for proposition A takes place Tuesday, August 7th. Under right-to-work rules, unions can’t require employees to pay dues, even though the union would continue to represent them in things like collective bargaining. Supporters of the initiative say it will attract businesses to Missouri and grow the state’s economy.