Anti-Union Bill Defeated In Missouri

Here's some good news for the labor movement.  A so-called "right to work" bill (or, more accurately, a "right to work for less" bill) has died in the Missouri State Senate, failing even to come up for a vote.  500 pro-labor supporters packed the Senate gallery during the debate, on the heels of more than 5000 who had protested against the bill last week.

While its Republican sponsors argued that states with "right to work" laws have less unemployment and are more competitive, this argument didn't even sway other Republican senators, much less the Democratic minority.  In fact, states with "right to work" laws have lower per capita and median household incomes than states which do not restrict the ability of workers to organize.