TPA Signs Coalition Letter Supporting Right to Work Legislation in Missouri

The fight for greater worker freedoms is a continuing battle that is increasingly being fought at the state level. Right to Work laws have proven to be a positive force for workers in many states across the country. TPA President David Williams has said that, “Collective bargaining restricts free labor markets, lowers per capita income and reduces individual freedoms.” Keeping that in mind, Taxpayers Protection Alliance signed onto a coalition letter, sent by Americans for Prosperity, calling on the Missouri state legislature to pass Right to Work legislation in the upcoming special session in September. Back in June, Gov. Jay Nixon (D-Mo.) vetoed two Right to Work bills (HB 116 and 589) but lawmakers will have a chance to vote to override the veto and TPA hopes they are successful.

Read the full letter below:


July 29, 2015

Dear Members of the Missouri State Senate and General Assembly:

We represent organizations from across the country dedicated to promoting worker freedom. Our organizations’ nonpartisan analysis shows that increasing worker freedom produces greater prosperity and growth in state economies, and we urge you to consider these benefits as you contemplate “Right to Work” in Missouri.

The data are clear: Right to Work states outperform their forced-union counterparts. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Right to Work states have experienced greater job growth, population growth, and compensation growth over every significant measured amount of time. Adjusted for cost of living, workers in Right to Work states earn more than workers in non-Right to Work states. And union membership actually grew in many states after they passed Right to Work legislation.

Missouri is surrounded by Right to Work states and continues to lag economically. But it is not just border states benefiting at Missouri’s expense. According to IRS data, from 1992 to 2011, Missouri lost well over $3 billion of income to Florida, Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina – all Right to Work states.

In many of our states, citizens have been fortunate to enjoy the benefits of Right to Work, and our economies have prospered as a result. For those citizens in the states that have not yet passed this crucial reform, we continue to advocate for and explain the benefits of increasing worker freedom.

As part of this effort, many of our organizations are participating in National Employee Freedom Week later this summer, in which we educate union workers about the freedoms available to them – how to opt out of the union entirely in Right to Work states, and how to be freed from certain dues in forced union states.

In years past, hundreds of workers across the country chose to free themselves of union obligations. Undoubtedly, there are many workers right here in Missouri who wish to be freed from union membership and all corresponding obligations. We believe every worker in America should be afforded that basic liberty.

The undersigned coalition of public policy research and grassroots advocacy organizations strongly supports Right to Work. Right to Work would mean freedom for workers, accountability for unions, and an enormous boost for the Missouri economy.

Sincerely,

Patrick Werner, Missouri State Director, Americans for Prosperity

Dan Greenberg, President, Advance Arkansas Institute

Sean Noble, President, American Encore

Lisa B. Nelson, CEO, American Legislative Exchange Council

Coley Jackson, President, Americans for Competitive Enterprise

Richard Manning, President, Americans for Limited Government

Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

John Mielke, President, Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin

Justin Owen, President, Beacon Center of Tennessee

John A. Charles, Jr., President & CEO, Cascade Policy Institute (Oregon)

Jeffrey Mazzella, President, Center for Individual Freedom

Matt Patterson, Executive Director, Center for Worker Freedom

Kim Crockett, Chief Operating Officer, EVP and General Counsel, Center of the American Experiment (Minnesota)

Matthew J. Brouillette, President and CEO, Commonwealth Foundation (Pennsylvania)

Iain Murray, Vice President of Strategy, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Jonathan Haines, Director, Federalism in Action

Brian Minnich, Vice President, Freedom Foundation

Marc Short, President, Freedom Partners

Andrew Clark, President, Generation Opportunity

Louie Hunter, Chair, Georgia Center Right Coalition

Kelly McCutchen, President, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Burly Cain, Executive Director, GOAL Advocacy (New Mexico)

Wayne Hoffman, President, Idaho Freedom Foundation

John Tillman, CEO, Illinois Policy Institute

Don Racheter, Immediate Past Chairman, Iowans for Right to Work

Sal J. Nuzzo, Vice President of Policy, James Madison Institute (Florida)

Jon Sanders, Director of Regulatory Studies, John Locke Foundation (North Carolina)

Dave Trabert, President, Kansas Policy Institute

Seton Motley, President, Less Government

Tonya Kiper, Liberty Foundation of America (Oklahoma)

Dee Hodges, President, Maryland Taxpayers Association

Pete Sepp, President, National Taxpayers Union

Victor Joecks, Executive Vice President, Nevada Policy Research Institute

Carla J. Sonntag, President and Founder, New Mexico Business Coalition

Jonathon Small, Executive Vice President, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Kevin P. Kane, President, Pelican Institute for Public Policy (Louisiana)

Don Racheter, President, Public Interest Institute (Iowa)

Lori Sanders, Outreach Director & Senior Fellow, R Street Institute

Mike Stenhouse, CEO, Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity

Paul J. Gessing, President, Rio Grande Foundation (New Mexico)

J. Scott Moody, CEO, State Budget Solutions

Maureen Blum, President, Strategic Coalitions & Initiatives

David Williams, President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Judson Phillips, Founder, Tea Party Nation

Joseph Bast, President and CEO, The Heartland Institute

Lisa B. Nelson, CEO, The Jeffersonian Project

Daniel Garza, Executive Director, The LIBRE Initiative

F. Vincent Vernuccio, JD, Director of Labor Policy, The Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Michigan)

Mike Quatrano, Director of Civic Engagement, The Maine Heritage Policy Center

Amy Ridenour, Chairman, The National Center for Public Policy Research

Michael W. Thompson, Chairman and President, Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy (Virginia)

Carl Bearden, Executive Director, United for Missouri

Rose Bogaert, Chair, Wayne County Taxpayers Association (Michigan)

Scott Manley, Vice President of Government Relations, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce

Carol Platt Liebau, President, Yankee Institute (Connecticut)