Right-to-work legislation approved in the Senate in the opening days of the 2015 session has died in a House committee.
The bill permitting employees who don’t pay union dues to work for union businesses drew scores of labor groups to the Capitol Annex, including Chris Bradley with the International Association of Machinists. Standing beside a giant inflated pig in a business suit symbolizing corporate greed, Bradley told WUKY right-to-work is a misleading name.
"It's a great title, but it has nothing to do with what the bill stands for," he said. "What the bill stands for is basically to do away with the union system, to do away with collective bargaining."
With the defeat of the right-to-work, the focus now shifts back to a number of counties that are taking action on their own.
"Since the state of Kentucky will not enact a right-to-work bill thanks to the obstructionism of the House Democrats, it is not only time for them but it is appropriate for local governments to enact right-to-work across Kentucky," Republican Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer said during a press conference on the committee vote.
This week alone, 23 counties have voted on local right-to-work initiatives. Labor groups have also mounted legal challenges to the ordinances.
