Will sign phony RTW law he says with pride
By ED FINKELSTEIN
Publisher
Eric Greitens, the Republican nominee for governor, has doubled down on his commitment to drive down the wages of Missouri workers by stating unequivocally that he supports passage of an anti-worker, wage depressing, so-called “right-to-work” law.
“Eric absolutely believes right-to-work is a necessary step to create good paying jobs, and he will sign it as governor,” said a statement issued by Greitens’ campaign for an article written last week by St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Kevin McDermott.
Ignoring the fact that all the data shows RTW actually drives down wages, and that in RTW states, the median household income is $4,613 LESS than in worker-friendly states without this onerous law, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce continues to be its major proponent.
Of course, they represent Corporate CEOs and not working Missourians.
THE TRUTH
The truth?
“The first thing that happens with (so called) ‘right-to-work’ is that wages go down’ because of the weakened bargaining power of unions,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Lindgren of the St. Louis Faith/Labor Alliance. “Right-to-work, its basic purpose seems to be to make it harder for workers to organize and ask for a living wage.”
And the impact of November’s governor’s race is clear, said Missouri AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Jake Hummel (D-St. Louis), a member of IBEW Local 1, in McDermott’s article:
“If we don’t get (Democratic nominee) Chris Koster elected, Missouri will very quickly be a ‘right-to work’ state.”
That assessment is born out by the fact that last year the legislature did pass a RTW law, only to have it vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon. The effort to override his veto failed.
HARD FACTS CAN’T BE DENIED
The impact on workers under the pro-business, anti-worker RTW law is clear based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor:
- Household incomes are $4,613 a year LESS.
- Average weekly wages are $191 a week LESS.
- Wage gap between women and men is GREATER.
KOSTER VOTE CRITICAL
“If a worker wants to be able to provide for his family, they need to be registered to vote and vote for Chris Koster for governor,” said Greater St. Louis Labor Council President Pat White.
“If Greitens is elected governor, with the overwhelming majority of Republicans in the legislature, you can bet Missouri will be a so-called ‘right-to-work’ state next year,” White added.
The importance of electing Koster governor to the working families of Missouri, regardless of whether or not they are a union member, was driven home several months ago by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka when, at a meeting in St. Louis at the Sheet Metal Workers hall kicking off the Missouri gubernatorial campaign, he said, “The entire country is watching Missouri.”
“A Greitens win would be a guaranteed victory for corporate CEOs and a terrible disaster for ALL working families,” White stressed.
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