UFCW members help defeat Work For Less legislation in Missouri
Jefferson City, Mo. – September 18, 2015 – Workers in Missouri are rejoicing after a high-profile attempt by state Republicans to make Missouri the 26th "Work For Less" state in the U.S. failed last week.
Following Democratic Governor Jay Nixon's veto of a Work for Less law that was passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature, Republicans in the Missouri House of Representatives attempted to override the veto last Wednesday, but fell thirteen votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for a successful override.
Twenty Republican House Representatives joined a majority of Democrats in opposing the override measure, and because it failed to garner enough support in the House, the measure will not go to the Senate. As a result, Work For Less has now officially been defeated in Missouri.
Prior to the override vote, members, staff and officers from UFCW Locals 655, 88 and 2 – which together represent over 20,000 workers across Missouri – worked tirelessly to prevent Work For Less from becoming law, directly lobbying state politicians over the last five years and participating in a "teletown hall" conference with Governor Nixon last month. Now that the override measure has been defeated, and Work For Less will not become law, their efforts have finally paid off.
Dave Cook, President of UFCW Local 655, Steven Straher, President of UFCW Local 88, and Tom Price, President of UFCW Local 2, released the following statement in response to Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of Work For Less legislation being sustained by the Missouri legislature:
"(This) is a victory for hard-working men and women and their families all across Missouri. It should be noted that Republicans, Democrats, Independents, union and non-union families stood together to stop (Work For Less) legislation. We thank legislators from both sides of the aisle for voting to preserve the rights of middle class workers.
Our families spent the summer hosting phone banks and canvassing every corner of Missouri to build community support for this very moment. Governor Nixon’s veto of harmful and unfair (Work For Less) legislation was sustained because Missourians saw this bill for what it really was – an attack upon every worker in our state regardless of party.
Although this battle is over, we will never stop fighting for hard-working Missouri families who hope for and deserve better lives."
The victory in Missouri is the second time this year that UFCW members have played a major role in beating back Work For Less legislation, as UFCW members and allies in Kentucky successfully defeated a proposed Work For Less law this past February.