Kentucky Becomes 27th Right-to-Work State

Employment Law

Kentucky state legislators took advantage of a new Republican majority—the first in 95 years—to promptly pass a right-to-work law relieving the state's non-union employees of mandatory union dues or fees as a condition of employment.  Reflecting on how the law is intended to create a friendlier business environment in Kentucky, State House Speaker Jeff Hoover noted, "We have to do our part in this state to make Kentucky more attractive to expand our job market."  The measure marks the second major victory in Kentucky for right-to-work advocates in as many months, with a federal appeals court upholding the ability of local governments to enact right-to-work laws within their jurisdiction last December.  However, a federal judge in Illinois recently set the stage for a circuit split by ruling that the NLRA prohibits municipalities from enacting their own right-to-work measures.  Since 2012, bordering states Indiana and West Virginia have passed their own right-to-work legislation, moves which are cited to have encouraged Kentucky's law.  New Hampshire and Missouri are considering a similar move.