NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee voters have approved a change to the state Constitution that reinforces the state’s existing “right-to-work” law.
The law, among other things, frees workers from being required to pay union dues. Tennessee has had a so-called right-to-work law on the books since 1947, and the outcome of Tuesday’s referendum doesn’t change how the existing law works.
But Republican politicians and businesses wanted a constitutional amendment to ensure the law isn’t weakened or overturned. It passed despite growing support for organized labor nationally.
Unions contending that such laws undercut unions from bargaining for better pay and workplace conditions opposed the amendment.
