Missouri Public Service Workers Lobby for Their Rights
by Clyde Weiss | March 22, 2012
Missouri State Representative Joe Aull (D-Marshall) speaks with members of AFSCME Council 72 during the union’s Lobby Day on March 21. Shown with him (left to right) are Ricky Miller of Marshall Habilitation Center Local 2078, Wendy Battaglia of Cameron Missouri Veterans Home Local 2441 and her partner. (Photo by Alexandra Townsend)
Jefferson City, Missouri – “Right-to-work-for-less” and “paycheck deception” legislation were key targets of Lobby Day activism for members of Missouri Council 72 and several other unions who met with their representatives Wednesday at the state Capitol.
Some lawmakers have already tried to pass such laws in an attempt to weaken workers’ rights, but so far have been unsuccessful. On Lobby Day, more than 250 public service workers from across the state fanned out to deliver the message that such legislation must be defeated if it comes up for a vote.
Members of Missouri Council 72 head to the state Capitol in Jefferson with other union sisters and brothers to lobby their representatives to support public services and oppose “right-to-work-for-less” and “paycheck deception” legislation. (Photo by Alexandra Townsend)
“Right to work for less and paycheck deception are strictly an attack on our rights to collectively bargain and have our voices heard on the job,” said Roy Hutchison, president of Local 3509 at the Higginsville Habilitation Center. “Our legislators should know that we need them to focus on creating jobs, not attacking workers.”
Another priority for the Council 72 members was garnering support for a negotiated 2-percent wage increase that’s now in the hands of legislators. Members pointed out that Missouri’s state workers are the lowest paid in the nation, earning 34 percent below the national average, according to census data.
“In order to recruit and retain the highest quality workforce to care for Missouri’s veterans, children and our most vulnerable citizens, we must be able to pay them accordingly,” said Council 72 Exec. Dir. Jeff Mazur.
AFSCME members throughout the country are fighting to support public services and against anti-worker legislation. Check out these recent Lobby Day stories from Florida and New York.
