Republicans reserve ability to change date of Missouri's 'right-to-work' vote

This article was updated to add information about concurrent resolutions and to correctly identify Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan.

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Republicans are allowing themselves the option to change when Missouri votes on a referendum on the state's "right-to-work" law.

Moving the November vote to August could have implications not only for the ballot measure on the law banning mandatory union dues but for Missouri's heated U.S. Senate race.

Republicans legislators passed the "right-to-work" measure early in 2017 and swiftly sent it to Gov. Eric Greitens, who signed it in February of that year. The law was to take effect last August.

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However, the GOP's alacrity in passing the law gave union opponents plenty of time to turn in more than 300,000 signatures calling for a referendum on the law. The law is stalled from going into effect until Missourians offer their collective opinion later in 2018.

Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, and Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, confirmed to the News-Leader that they are considering filing resolutions that could change the date of the "right-to-work" vote to Aug. 7 to coincide with primary elections. The bill-filing deadline is Thursday. (A Senate staffer told the News-Leader that because the legislation is a type known as a concurrent resolution, it could be filed later in the session.)

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Rehder says she was ready to propose her resolution Dec. 1, the first day lawmakers could file bills. She wasn't given the green light until Tuesday.

"I spoke to leadership and they said, 'Let's wait,'" Rehder said. "This week, with us having the last day to file, they thought it would be fine to put it in the hopper."

Rehder said she wasn't given any reason to postpone filing and referred questions about the timing to GOP leaders themselves.

Messages left with House Speaker Todd Richardson, Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr and Majority Floor Leader Todd Vescovo were not returned Wednesday.

Rehder, a previous sponsor of "right-to-work" legislation, believes Missouri has already voiced its view on the issue by electing the Republican Greitens, who campaigned in support of the labor law, over former Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat who campaigned against it.

"I find it disheartening that the unions would spend their time gathering signatures against the (majority of) voters' wishes, but so be it, they did," Rehder said. "And so now, I think the sooner we get it over with, the better."

Unions have contended that Missourians are better off without the law and the lower wages they say it could bring. Supporters like Rehder have said the law allows workers to decide how much power union bosses should have.

The News-Leader examined the implications of the date of the vote late last year, about the time Rehder was preparing her resolution. Several Missouri political science professors noted that moving the vote up to August would be favorable to Republicans for a number of reasons.

If McCaskill goes up for re-election alongside a vote on a law despised by organized labor, there could be higher turnout among union members and supporters, who have historically tended to vote Democrat. Additionally, Democrats for whom supporting McCaskill is a higher priority than defeating "right-to-work" would generally side with the unions, given the simultaneous opportunity.

August election turnout tends to be more conservative and less numerous. A late-summer vote on "right-to-work" could boost its survival odds and also take out of consideration an issue that McCaskill could use to rally support.

GOP leaders in the legislature will decide whether to act on the resolution, Rehder said. She said she had not considered the possibility that her resolution could affect McCaskill's chances and instead focused on the "cleaner" August slate compared to November, when numerous other ballot measures like medical marijuana legalization also could be up for a vote.

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Rehder's resolution does not mean the decision to change the vote date is set in stone. But it allows the GOP to keep the option on the table.

That said, the Missouri Republican Party is optimistic about its chances on both fronts, no matter the date.

"We are working closely with all parties involved to insure that the Right to Work is protected and we defeat Claire McCaskill," said Sam Cooper, the executive director of the state GOP, in a statement. "We are confident we will accomplish both whether the election is in November or August."