JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. _ In an abandoned warehouse in Springfield Monday morning, Gov. Eric Greitens signed legislation making Missouri the country's 28th right-to-work state.
Before the day is done, he'll sign the measure two more times.
Greitens' signature puts the finishing touches on decades of work by Republicans and business groups to enact a right-to-work law in Missouri, which allows employees in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying unions for the cost of being represented.
Unions vehemently oppose right-to-work laws, referring to them as "right to work for less." They argue the real motivation behind right-to-work is political: Republicans want to weaken a political nemesis by allowing some workers to benefit from the contracts labor unions negotiate without having to contribute to covering the costs of those negotiations.
Proponents of right-to-work argue it will bolster Missouri's economy by making the state more hospitable to businesses.
By signing the bill, Greitens is fulfilling one of his major campaign pledges. Labor unions spent heavily to defeat Greitens last year based largely on his pledge to work with state lawmakers to enact right-to-work legislation. He also mentioned the proposal in his State of the State address last month, saying "Missouri has to become a right-to-work state."
Greitens first signing ceremony was held in Springfield at an abandoned warehouse that Parker Briden, the governor's press secretary, called in a press release "a far too familiar sight for many towns across Missouri."
The owner of the warehouse, Gary Newkirk, told the Springfield News-Leader that his company went out of business five months ago, but lack of a right-to-work law wasn't to blame. While Newkirk said he supports the legislation, he told the newspaper offshore competition was the real culprit.
Greitens plans to sign the bill a second time in Poplar Bluff, then sign it a third time at the Missouri Capitol.
Missouri Democrats panned Greitens for his choice of venue. He should have signed the bill at Boeing, Ford or another union workplace around the state instead of choosing to "hide out in an abandoned warehouse far from critical questioning by the hardworking Missourians who, thanks to him, have fewer rights today than they did yesterday," said House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, a Kansas City Democrat.
Dan Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called the bill signing an "historic accomplishment."
In time," Mehan said, "I think even the people who opposed this change will come to appreciate how it helped provide better jobs for Missouri workers."
