JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri's so-called "right-to-work" law will have its fate decided by a statewide vote next November after opponents of the bill gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures.
Governor Eric Greitens signed Senate Bill 19, the so-called "right-to-work" bill, in February. The bill — which was a part of Greitens platform in his run for Governor — would end mandatory union fees. Unions pushed for the public vote in the hopes that Missourians would ditch the law.
Opponents of the law collected 310,567 signatures, which is nearly three times the required 107,510 signatures needed to trigger a statewide vote. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office verified enough signatures to land the issue on a statewide ballot in 2018.
Ashcroft's office says a vote on the law is slated for the Nov. 6 ballot unless Missouri lawmakers change the date.
The new law was set to take effect Aug. 28. But the Missouri Constitution says laws will be suspended if enough signatures are gathered to put them to a public vote.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
