Circuit Court decision allows counties to pass right to work laws

After many counties in the state passed local right-to-work ordinances to allow workers to choose whether or not they want to be a member of a union in the absence of a statewide law, the 6th Circuit Court today reversed a February decision from the U.S. District Court and upheld the Hardin County right-to-work ordinance. This decision means that Kentucky counties are now free to pass their own right-to-work laws on a local level.

More than a dozen Kentucky counties passed right to work ordinances since Warren County was the first to take up the issue in December 2014. The local laws quickly prompted union groups to file a lawsuit in federal court challenging the Hardin County right to work measure.

The Chamber has long supported right-to-work legislation to allow workers to choose whether or not they want to be a member of a union and believes the measures help the state become more competitive and attracts businesses.

With the new Republican majority in the House, it is likely that a statewide right-to-work law could see passage in the upcoming 2017 General Assembly. The state Senate has passed the measure for many years, but it always stalled in the then-Democratic controlled House. Currently, there are 26 states have right-to-work laws.
The full decision can be seen here.