Mo. S.C: Public Employees Can Bargain

From the Associated Press:

Overturning a 60-year legal precedent, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that teachers and other public employees have a constitutional right to engage in collective bargaining with their government employers.

Although governments aren't bound to reach work agreements with labor unions, once they do, they cannot simply back out of the contracts, the Supreme Court said Tuesday.

The court's 5-2 ruling overturned a 1947 Supreme Court decision that had construed a constitutional right to collective bargaining to apply only to private-sector employees.

Gov. Matt Blunt today called the ruling "terrible and reckless."

“This is yet another example of judicial activism, where a court’s action oversteps the bounds of prudent Constitutional interpretation. This reckless decision could force cities and school districts to raise taxes and subject Missourians to the threat of strikes by critical public sector employees," Blunt said in a statement.

“Public sector employees are different than all other employees, and taxpayers should not be bound by collective bargaining agreements. I am disappointed in this terrible ruling and will continue to enact policies to ensure that appropriation authority remains in the hands of the legislature and elected representatives, not judges seeking to legislate from the bench.”

Ky3's Melissa Yeager reports on the issue HERE.