State Senator Gary Clemons held a press conference after filing legislation that would repeal Kentucky’s Right-to-Work law.
Senate Bill 161 comes nearly a decade after Kentucky adopted the law. Clemons said unions have lost negotiating power because workers are not required to join a union or pay union fees while holding a job. He argued that union dues are minimal and help workers secure better benefits from their employers.
Clemons, a longtime union leader, said the bill reflects the economic realities facing working families across the Commonwealth.
“So we have to get the balance and try to maintain affordability, where people do not get on SNAP benefits, where people do not have to stand in line to get food assistance,” Clemons said. “It’s not a system. It’s a broken system, and you should not have to work two, three, or four full-time jobs or three or four part-time jobs to make ends meet.”
Kentucky’s Right-to-Work law was enacted in 2017.
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