Kentucky labor unions are rallying their members as they gear up to lobby state lawmakers to repeal the state’s right-to-work law, arguing that it has weakened unions and stripped workers of key protections.
“It cut the legs out from under working families,” Representative Adrielle Camuel said about Kentucky’s right-to-work law.
Lawmakers passed the measure in 2017. It allows employees in union workplaces to opt out of joining or financially supporting the union. Critics argue that this has significantly weakened unions across the state.
Camuel has introduced a bill in the Kentucky House to repeal the law, saying the change would improve conditions for workers statewide.
“Actually make Kentucky a worker friendly state. One that provides a fair wage. One that provides better benefits and one that also creates safer work environments,” Camuel said.
Union leaders maintain that repealing the law would benefit all Kentucky workers over time, including those who are not union members.
“Strengthening unions only strengthens things for other workers. When we bargain good wages, all wages go up as a consequence,” said Charles “Chad” Conley of the United Steelworkers.
Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman has voiced strong support for repealing right-to-work, saying strong unions give Kentucky families an opportunity to build better lives.
“It’s the reason we have weekends. It’s the reason we have lunch breaks. They’re the reason we are able to send our kids to college,” Coleman said. “I mean, I have friends that I went to college with – they went to college because their families were in unions. And that’s the only reason.”
“We’ve got to get back to that. We’ve got to get back to making sure that we value not the work that’s being done, but the people who are doing it,” she added.
Supporters of Kentucky’s right-to-work law have previously argued that it protects workers’ freedom to earn a living and makes the state more attractive to businesses.
Still, opponents note that several states have repealed similar laws in recent years, and they say they are prepared to push for the same change in Kentucky.
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