Members of the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee passed a resolution to add Tennessee’s Right to Work law to the state constitution.
Seven members of the Committee voted in favor of the resolution. Two other committee members, however, opposed it.
State Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, said in a press release that “this amendment will guarantee future generations of Tennessee workers their right to work regardless of whether they choose to join a union.”
Tennessee’s Right to Work statute has been state law since 1947. It provides workers cannot be hired or fired based on their membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization. When introduced in 1947, supporters of the bill argued that it would “be of great advantage to the average member of organized labor.”
It also protects the rights of those who choose not to join a union, the press release went on to say.
Twenty-seven other states have Right to Work laws. Nine of those states have passed constitutional amendments, including neighboring states Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The Alabama amendment passed most recently in 2016. Another neighbor, Virginia, is presently considering repealing its Right to Work statute. A constitutional amendment would offer greater protection for workers against such repeal efforts, the press release said.
The resolution has also gained support from prominent Tennessee business leaders.
“Rhetoric from national candidates against state right to work laws has caught the attention of small businesses across Tennessee,” said Jim Brown, Tennessee State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
“In neighboring Virginia there is currently an effort to repeal its right to work law adopted in 1947, and in Indiana a judge ruled in 2013 that its right to work law was unconstitutional. Tennesseans simply prefer choices over mandates. For these reasons, NFIB strongly supports SJR 648, which will strengthen a key element that has made Tennessee an attractive state for businesses and workers.”
Beacon Impact, the advocacy partner of the Beacon Center of Tennessee, a free market think tank, also supports the resolution, according to the press release.
“While Right to Work has been the long-standing public policy of Tennessee, it is increasingly under attack,” said Justin Owen, CEO of Beacon Impact.
“It is imperative that we protect the fundamental right of Tennessee workers to decide whether or not to pay union dues for generations to come, and the best way to do that is to recognize this right in our state constitution.”
If passed by the General Assembly in 2020, SJR 648 would need to pass by a two-thirds majority during the 2021 or 2022 legislative session in order to appear on the ballot for a statewide referendum in November 2022. The amendment would become part of the state constitution if adopted by a majority vote in the governor’s election.
There is also strong public support for the resolution. An October 2019 Beacon Center survey reported that 68 percent of Tennesseans favor the Right to Work policy, while 13 percent are opposed, and 19 percent remain undecided.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
We don’t need business unions like the Chamber of Commerce ot the National Federation of Independent Business either. Each company can work in its own interest.