LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right-to-work law passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature in 2017, rejecting unions’ arguments that the law violates the state and U.S. constitutions.
The law prevents workers at organized workplaces from being forced to support the union through paycheck deductions.
Republicans have said it will help attract manufacturers and other job-creators to the state, while detractors called it an attempt to cripple unions, who largely support Democrats, while driving down rank-and-file wages and workplace protections.
In a decision handed down Thursday, judges said lawmakers had a legitimate reason for the law – to promote economic development and job growth -- so it wasn’t an “arbitrary” exercise of their power:
One does not need an advanced degree in labor economics to recognize that employers might be attracted to locate in a state where wages are lower as opposed to a state where wages are higher. To the extent this conclusion might be characterized as speculative, it is undoubtedly rational. The legislature can clearly make a policy decision that the Act might result in more jobs, albeit at lower wages, and that this result, in turn, might benefit the overall economic climate of Kentucky. In fact, this result is supported by some of the economic studies noted by the Unions.
Unions including Teamsters Local 89 in Louisville, which represents workers at UPS and other private employers, and the Kentucky AFL-CIO brought the challenge in May 2017.
Right-to-work was among a handful of priority bills that Republicans fast-tracked into law during their first week of full control of the legislature following the 2016 election.
The law will take effect gradually as unions and employers extend collective bargaining agreements or adopt new ones.
Labor contracts that were already in place when the law took effect in January 2017 are grandfathered.
Related: SUNDAY EDITION | Kentucky unions begin new era under right-to-work law
Reach reporter Chris Otts at 502-585-0822, cotts@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2018 WDRB News. All rights reserved.
