The West Virginia Senate passed a controversial “right-to-work” bill Thursday, by the barest of margins, just hours or days before a state Supreme Court ruling could switch the balance of power in the Senate.
With the Senate galleries packed with union opponents, and with the pending court decision leaving it unclear how much longer Republicans may run the Senate, the bill passed by a vote of 17-16 after more than 90 minutes of sometimes contentious debate. Every Republican voted yes, every Democrat voted no.
A decision from the state Supreme Court, on which party will get to fill a vacant Senate seat, is expected soon. A court ruling in favor of the Democrats would likely deadlock the Senate, blocking controversial legislation like the right-to-work bill.
Right-to-work laws, which are in effect in 25 other states, allow workers in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying union fees, even though the union must represent and negotiate for every worker.
Republicans argue that the laws are unfair to workers who don’t want to pay union fees and that passing the law will attract businesses to West Virginia.
Democrats argue that the laws are an effort to cripple unions and will lead to lower wages and more dangerous workplaces.
The bill next heads to the House of Delegates, where Republicans hold a sizable majority. If it passes there, Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin could sign or veto the bill.
Reach David Gutman at david.gutman@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5119 or follow @davidlgutman on Twitter.