The Montana Senate over the weekend voted twice to strike down a bill targeting organized labor.
So-called “Right to Work” laws have been a staple of recent Montana legislatures. Bills on the topic have been brought in the last three sessions, each time they’ve encountered steep opposition by organized labor.
Right to Work laws seek to block agreements where unions collect dues from nonmember employees.
Sen. Mark Noland, a Republican from Bigfork, sponsored the legislation this year. He told lawmakers the bill was about employee’s freedom of choice, not an attack on organized labor.
Over 100 union members who testified against the bill disagreed. They described the bill as a veiled attempt to defund unions and said its concerns are already addressed in Montana law.
After the bill was tabled Saturday by a Senate committee, Noland motioned to have it reconsidered by the full Senate. Sen. Cora Neumann, a Democrat from Gallatin County, expressed frustration with 'right to work' continuing to take up legislative time:
“This is a bill that comes back year after year. We have heard overwhelmingly over and over again that the people of Montana do not want this. So I respectfully ask you to not waste our time,” Neumann said.
Fourteen Republicans joined the Senate’s 18 Democrats to strike down Noland’s motion.
