Union laborers rally at the capitol

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Intro:	Governor Jay Nixon spoke out to nearly a thousand union laborers against right-to-work legislation gathered outside the capitol.
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Wrap: About a thousand labor union members were bussed in from all around the state to pressure legislators not to pass what supporters call right-to-work legislation.

Governor Jay Nixon came before the group to express support for their cause.

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Description: "This latest attempt to make Missouri a Right to Work state is unnecessary and misguided. Right to Work is wrong and it would move our state backwards."

Right-to-work legislation would make being in a labor union, or at least paying union fees, optional and not a requirement for employment.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jeffrey Militzer.

Intro:	Governor Nixon said to a crowd of hundreds of union members converging on the statehouse grounds that his pen has plenty of ink for vetoing right-to-work legislation.
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Wrap: Governor Jay Nixon and several state legislators came down the front steps of the Capitol to support union laborers in their fight to keep what supporters call right-to-work from becoming law in Missouri.

Several hundred union laborers gathered at the Capitol to protest upcoming Right to Work legislation pending before the state legislature.

Nixon says he will not allow right-to-work legislation to pass his desk.

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Description: "Everybody here knows what would happen if that bill made it to my desk, but if they try to go around me and put this wrong-headed legislation to a vote of the people I will stand right beside you and we will fight and win like we did in 1978."

Right-to-work legislation would remove the requirement for workers to pay union fees as a condition of employment.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jeffrey Militzer.

Intro:	A big business advocate spoke to a rally of hundreds of union members that she is with them on a key issue.
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Wrap: While right-to-work legislation is mainly pushed by Republicans, not all of them are on board.

Pro-business Representative Anne Zerr says educating her fellow Republicans in office about the need for strong unions is one of her priorities.

Zerr spoke about her prior experience as a union worker in front of a thousand union laborers at a rally at the Capitol.

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Description: "We knew, because we belonged to a union, that we had protection, that we were guaranteed a wage, that somebody was watching our back, and that we had each other."

Zerr says right-to-work legislation would cause workers to lose their pay and benefits from their employers.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jeffrey Militzer.