Republican-backed law targeting public unions rejected by Missouri Supreme Court

The Missouri Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling Tuesday and struck down a 2018 law that sought to impose new restrictions on collective bargaining for public sector unions while exempting public safety unions from the requirements.

In a 5-2 decision, the court ruled that the bill violated public employees’ constitutional right to receive equal protection under the law. The unconstitutional provisions permeated throughout the bill and could not be severed — resulting in the bill being declared null and void in its entirety.

House Bill 1413, sponsored by Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Republic, was signed into law in 2018 and imposed a slew of new restrictions on public labor unions, including annual authorization for fees to be withheld from an employee’s earnings to pay dues, three-year recertifications and absolute-majority votes.

However, public safety unions, like those representing emergency medical personnel and law enforcement, would be exempt from those new requirements under the bill.

Read more: https://missouriindependent.com/2021/06/01/republican-backed-law-targeting-public-unions-rejected-by-missouri-supreme-court/