Some House Republicans are saying that the results of the effort to bring Boeing’s production of the 777x to the state could be an indicator of whether it needs to implement what they call a “Right to Work” policy.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) takes to the House floor as the special session begins.
Right to Work policies prevent employees from having to pay union dues as a condition of employment.
House Speaker Tim Jones says the reason Boeing is not going to build the 777x in the State of Washington because of that state’s labor climate, and he calls that notable.
The Washington legislature passed a nearly $9-billion incentive package for Boeing, but a machinist union voted to reject concessions that were part of the deal. That led to Boeing soliciting offers from some 16 states, including Missouri, as it looks for the place to build the airliner. Jones says he thinks Missouri’s labor policy will be important in whether Boeing produces that plane here.
“If we are awarded this project it will show that Missouri is competitive,” Jones says. “If not, we’re going to have to analyze where the project goes and what policies we can look at in the future.”
Rep. Eric Burlison agrees, and says he will explore the idea of introducing his “Right to Work” legislation during the special session, if he thinks it will fit in Gov. Jay Nixon’s call for the special session.
“I need to ask some legal experts in the building to see if it is something I could do,” Burlison tells Missourinet.
Jones, though, says he doesn’t want anything else to be raised in the special session because of time constraints.
“We have a total of eight calendar days in which to accomplish the task at hand,” Jones says. “The call is extremely narrowly written. It’s our intent to remain within the call.”
Burlison says he will respect Jones if he doesn’t want a Right to Work provision brought up, but says he does plan to file the bill for the regular session that begins Jan. 8.
AUDIO: Mike Lear reports (:62)