Workers for Opportunity Names Legislative Leaders, Labor Reform Champions to National Board of Advisors

Five Inaugural Members Will Lend Policy Expertise as Workers for Opportunity Expands State-level Labor Reform Across the Country

MIDLAND, Mich., June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers for Opportunity today named five inaugural members to a new board of advisors, whose policy expertise will steer ongoing labor policy reform in states across the nation.

Newly installed advisory board members include:

• Justin Hill, Former Missouri State Representative
• Scott Plakon, Former Florida State Representative
• J. Stuart Adams, Utah State Senate President
• Heath VanNatter, Indiana State Representative
• Leah Vukmir, Former Wisconsin State Senator

Workers for Opportunity's advisors are proven champions of employee freedom who have secured labor reform victories in their home states. Under the board's guidance, Workers for Opportunity will continue to expand employee freedom through state laws that notify public employees of their rights, ensure employees have voting rights on union representation, and empower employees to exercise their rights to withdraw from union membership without facing unnecessary or unconstitutional red tape. 

Workers for Opportunity's announcement coincides with the five-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Janus v. AFSCME. The court ruled that the First Amendment protects public employees from being required to pay a union as a condition of employment.  

Workers for Opportunity's Labor Reform Success

In the years since the Janus v. AFSCME decision, Workers for Opportunity has led state-level reform efforts to advance workplace freedom and safeguard workers' rights. 

In 2023 alone, Workers for Opportunity celebrated major labor reform victories in both Florida and Tennessee. 

In May, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 256, a bill that gives public employees more opportunities to vote on keeping or removing the union at their workplace and informs them of their rights. The new law reflects a years-long effort led by Workers for Opportunity. 

In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee signed into law Senate Bill 281, which raises salaries and protects paychecks for public school teachers. Governor Lee also signed bipartisan House Bill 1342, securing the right to a private ballot in unionization elections for Tennessee workplaces that receive state economic incentives. The bill is the first of its kind.

Workers for Opportunity has also made strides on labor reform in Kentucky, Indiana, Alaska and Oklahoma, and supported reform efforts in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Virginia over the past five years. 

STATEMENT FROM JUSTIN HILL, BOARD OF ADVISORS: "Workers for Opportunity's 2023 successes in Tennessee, Indiana and Florida offer just a glimpse at what this powerhouse organization can do. I look forward to working alongside my fellow advisory board members to usher in a new era of labor reform with Workers for Opportunity at the helm." 

Workers for Opportunity is a project of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. WFO's goal is to advance the liberty of employees across the country and protect their First Amendment rights by ensuring they have a full and informed choice in union membership

SOURCE Workers for Opportunity