[JURIST] The Republican led Missouri General Assembly [official website] on Wednesday approved a “right to work” bill that would stop workers from being required to be part of a union or pay dues, but the bill did not garner enough votes to overcome a likely veto by Governor Jay Nixon [official website]. After a more than eight-hour filibuster by democrats, the Missouri House of Representatives approved the measure by a 92-66 vote. The Missouri Senate passed the bill on Tuesday by a vote of 21-13. The bill needed to have passed by a two-thirds majority in both chambers in order to overcome any upcoming veto. The Republican backers of the bill claim that the measure would encourage economic growth and bring more businesses to the state. Nixon claims the legislation will weaken the state’s economy.

Missouri would be the twenty-sixth state to enact such a law. In March the Wisconsin AFL-CIO and two local labor unions filed the first lawsuit [JURIST report] challenging the state’s newly enacted “right to work” law. In November the Indiana Supreme Court upheld [JURIST report] the state’s right-to-work law, stating it did not violate the state’s constitution. Michigan [JURIST report] and Illinois have also received challenges to their right to work laws. JURIST Guest Columnist Karla Swift of the Michigan State AFL-CIO argued [JURIST op-ed] that the “right to work” laws enacted by the Michigan Legislature in 2012 are unconstitutional and were enacted in violation of Michigan’s Open Meeting Act.