Senator Joey Hensley

Vote Yes on 1: Protect the Right-to-Work as a Tennessee Tradition

Tennessee’s Right to Work law has been an essential driver of economic growth for Tennessee since it was first enacted in 1947. Since then, businesses have flocked to Tennessee for our pro-business environment that promotes economic growth and prosperity and avoids burdensome regulations. Tennessee’s law ensures workers cannot be forced to join a union and pay dues to keep their jobs. It protects workers’ choice and is attractive to businesses. Amendment 1 to the Tennessee Constitution will ensure future generations of Tennesseans have the right to work regardless of their membership in a union and to protect Tennessee’s longstanding tradition of a friendly business climate.

When introduced in 1947, supporters of the Right to Work bill argued that it would “be of great advantage to the average member of organized labor.” And they were correct. Research shows that right-to-work states like Tennessee have higher real income growth, employment growth, and population growth. When businesses thrive so do workers, families and communities. A ‘Yes’ vote on Amendment 1 sends a message to businesses that Tennessee is and always will be open for business.

Tennesseans overwhelmingly believe in protecting our First Amendment freedom of association. That’s why in the General Assembly we voted to give you the choice to place right-to-work in our state Constitution.

There is strong support from the business community for this proposal. Among prominent supports are the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB).

Twenty-eight other states have Right to Work laws, and nine of those have passed constitutional amendments, including neighboring states Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The Alabama amendment passed most recently in 2016. Another neighbor, Virginia, has considered repealing its Right to Work statute. A constitutional amendment in Tennessee would offer greater protection for workers against such repeal efforts.

How Constitutional

Amendments Work

Proposed Constitutional amendments are presented as yes or no questions. A yes vote is a vote to amend the Constitution and adopt the proposed language in the amendment. A no vote is a vote not to amend the Constitution and keep the current language in the Constitution unchanged.

Two things must happen for an amendment to pass and become part of the Constitution. The first is the amendment must get more yes votes than no votes. The second is that the yes votes must be a majority of the total votes in the gubernatorial election.

The Right-to-Work proposal is one of four constitutional amendments on the ballot this year. More information on the other proposals can be found on the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Website.

Register to Vote

To be sure you can vote for this important initiative make sure you are registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote for the November 8 election is October 11. You can register online at the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Website or by mail. You can also check your voter registration status online if you are unsure.

The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. Many men and women have died to protect this right. It is the responsibility of citizens to exercise the right to vote, which so many men and women have died to protect.

Contact Senator Hensley at

425 5th Avenue North, Suite 746

Nashville TN 37243

615-741-3100

Toll Free 1-800-449-8366

ext. 13100

Fax 615-253-0231

855 Summertown Highway

Hohenwald TN 38462

Phone 931-796-2018

Cell Phone 931-212-8823

E-mail:

[email protected]