House Likely to Debate Springfield Lawmaker's Right-to-Work Bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House Speaker changed his mind about right-to-work legislation.

In the weeks before the legislative session, Tim Jones said the legislation wouldn't come up. Now, he says it's about the right of a worker to not belong to an organization he or she doesn't want to belong to.

"I thought...that is a central tenant of what I believe this House majority stands for, and that's freedom and liberty in all phases of life. And as I viewed that, I said why would I not want to have a discussion on worker freedom and liberty?"

Jones says he will let Rep. Eric Burlison's bill come to the House floor at some point this year.

"Should workers be forced to join a union or not, that's the question. It has nothing to do with employee-employer relationships. It has everything to do with, should an employee be forced to join an organization or not. And I think that debate needs to be had." 

Jones is now a co-sponsor of Burlison's bill. Jones initially said the right-to-work legislation didn't need to come up because it would never pass both houses of the legislature and the governor.