Growing up with seven siblings in St. Louis, Michael Breihan admired how his father, a bus driver and union member, could support his family on union wages.
When Breihan turned 23, he also became a bus driver and a union member. He worked for 10 years before he ran for office at the Amalgamated Transit Union.
"My feeling is you need to know what you're doing before you get into something," Breihan said.
Now, at 62, Breihan is the president and business agent of his union's St. Louis branch, which represents 3,000 public transit workers. He and some of his co-workers came to the state Capitol on Wednesday to support Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of right-to-work legislation.
For at least one more year, Breihan and his colleagues can rest easy. The Missouri House voted 96-63 to uphold the governor's veto, falling 13 votes short of an override.
Stanley Mullins, a member of Laborers Union Local 660, also attended to show his support for the veto.
"I'm very happy that the veto was sustained," Mullins said. "It means a brighter future for me. It guarantees my retirement and it's fair for the workers that are working now because people that take advantage of the union will have to pay their dues."
Debate on the House floor went on for nearly two hours. Bill sponsor Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, kicked off the debate on the bill that could have made Missouri the nation's 26th right-to-work state.
"If we're going to do right by our workers, we're going to give them a choice so the union will represent them the best," Burlison said. "We need unions to be strong and responsible."
Opponents of the legislation argued it would lower workers' wages, hurt small businesses and weaken the state's economy.
"This bill is an attack on the middle-class worker," said Rep. Karla May, D-St. Louis. "Greed perpetuates this disconnect between workers and businesses."
Longtime union member Rep. Jacob Hummel, D-St. Louis, also chimed in.
"By passing this, all we're telling the workers of Missouri is that the only thing we want is to make sure that your wages go down," said Hummel, who serves as the House minority leader.
Opponents also argued that unions incentivize business growth by providing higher-skilled workers than right-to-work states. Rep. Genice Monticello, D-St. Louis, spoke of her family members who are union workers and have benefited from unions.
"I do not understand this anti-worker climate," Monticello said. "What employers tell me is that they want an educated, trained workforce. They tell me that's their concern."
Proponents of the legislation argued right-to-work would make Missouri a more attractive state for businesses and give workers the freedom to choose whether or not to join a union.
Private sector wages in right-to-work states neighboring Missouri grew by 3 percent between 2002 and 2012, Burlison said. He added, during that same time period, wages in Missouri fell by 1.6 percent.
"We have an economic downturn, and we have a workforce that's evacuating the state of Missouri," said Rep. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville. "It's in the facts. Missouri is not in the economic boom of other neighboring states."
But for both sides, there's always next year.
"We always knew this was going to be a longterm effort," said Levi Russell, director of public affairs for Americans for Prosperity, an organization that advocates for economic freedom and limited government. "There's going to be a change in leadership at the top in the not-too-distant future, and the people are behind this."
The fight isn't over for union members.
"It's been a long hard fight, but what the problem is is that we know in our hearts that this is going to be coming back next year," said Breihan.
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