Two weeks ago, Boone County became the latest – and largest – Kentucky county to adopt a policy Republicans in the General Assembly hope will one day be the norm across the entire state. And the county’s leaders believe it will stand up in court.
With legislation allowing workers to opt out of joining unions, commonly dubbed “Right to Work,” once again hitting a roadblock in the Democratic-led House this year, Boone County officials began investigating a local version. And on March 17, they moved ahead with the plan, despite a pending federal lawsuit in Hardin County challenging its right to enact a similar law.
Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore tells cn2 Pure Politics, "We did our homework. We evaluated some of the potential litigation that may follow and decided that we wanted to be in that column, a column that says we are a business-friendly community when it comes to Right to Work."
And while Moore says the research is clear that Right to Work makes counties more attractive to potential employers, opponents argue it’s an illegal effort to weaken unions and drive down wages on the county level.
Boone County’s ordinance would not apply to labor contracts or renegotiations inked before the change took effect.
