ALEC Develops Comprehensive Government Union Reform Act as All-in-One Union Elimination Playbook

Timeline Eventconfirmed
labor-suppressionalecstate-capturemodel-legislationunion-bustingcollective-bargainingpublic-sector-unionsmissouri
Regulatory CaptureMedia Capture & ControlLabor Suppression
Actors:American Legislative Exchange Council, Bob Onder, Missouri GOP, corporate ALEC members
2016-01-01 · 1 min read

Building on the success of piecemeal union-busting legislation like Wisconsin Act 10 (2011), the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) develops and promotes the comprehensive "Government Union Reform Act" as an all-in-one template for systematic public sector union elimination. The model legislation combines multiple anti-union tactics into a single bill: mandatory annual union recertification elections requiring an absolute majority of all employees (not just voters), curtailment of collective bargaining over wages and benefits with public employers allowed to refuse union contract proposals, elimination of binding arbitration requirements, mandatory secret ballots in union elections, transparency requirements forcing public access to collective bargaining meetings, and elimination of union "release time" (ending taxpayer-funded time for union meetings and contract negotiations). The act represents the evolution of ALEC's union-busting strategy from targeted attacks to comprehensive union elimination, incorporating lessons learned from Wisconsin, Michigan, and other states into a single devastating package. Missouri introduces the legislation as Senate Bill 210, promoted by ALEC as a potential "model state for government union labor relations." The comprehensive approach demonstrates ALEC's increasingly aggressive posture following the 2010-2016 right-to-work victories, moving beyond weakening unions to attempting complete elimination of public sector collective bargaining rights while maintaining the appearance of "transparency" and "taxpayer protection."

Sources

  1. Missouri May Become Model State for Government Union Labor RelationsAmerican Legislative Exchange Council(2016)
  2. Koch-Funded Mackinac Center Brings Wisconsin Act 10 Provisions to ALECCenter for Media and Democracy (PR Watch)(2012-05-31)
  3. West Virginia Becomes the 26th Right-to-Work StateAmerican Legislative Exchange Council(2016-02-12)