A couple of firsts that don’t bode well for our struggle for workers’ rights: Missouri lawmakers passed “Right-to-Work” after several years of futile attempts. Kansas City Labor failed to get it together to organize its traditional Labor Day Parade this year.
While St. Louis and Kansas City have increased their minimum wage to $11 and $13 respectively, Missouri’s GOP super majority is using all of its power to weaken organized labor and to attack workers’ rights in general. Governor Nixon is scheduled to veto the R2W bill, but the fact that Republican legislators were able to finally get it passed signals their growing strength in this area. Wages have been stagnant for damn near three decades and the gap between workers’ salaries and CEO’s is the greatest ever.
We got work to do!