Now that Republicans control the Executive Branch as well as both Houses of the Kentucky General Assembly, Kentucky will soon join 26 other states that have enacted right-to-work laws.  In states with right-to-work laws, no employee can be required as a condition of employment, to join a union or to pay dues to a labor union.

House Republicans filed a right-to-work bill as HB1, signaling that passage of right-to-work legislation is a top priority.  The House passed the right-to-work bill on January 5, 2017.  The Senate is expected to pass the bill in a rare Saturday session on January 7, 2017.  The bill will take effect immediately after the Governor signs it.

As currently drafted, Kentucky’s right-to-work law will not apply to agreements between employers and employees or labor organizations that were entered into before the effective date of the law, but it will apply to any new contracts and to extensions or renewals of existing agreements entered into on or after the effective date of the law.