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By Kathleen Shannon - Producer, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - Although the bill was dubbed the “Right to Work Act,” more than 200 Montana workers flooded the state Capitol on Friday to speak against it. After the bill – which would have made it optional to join a union at a unionized workplace – failed two different votes on Saturday, union workers are celebrating. Comments by Jason Hottel [HODD-uhl] union worker, Ironworkers Local 732; and Jim Soumas [SUE-muhs], principal officer, Teamsters Union Local 190.
Click on the image above for the audio. About 13% of Montana's workers were represented by unions in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Adobe Stock)
Kathleen Shannon
March 4, 2025 - Union workers across Montana are celebrating the death of a bill which would have given employees the right to choose whether to join a union when hired by a represented company.
Known as the "right to work" bill, some said its title is misleading. More than 200 people signed up to speak against Senate Bill 376 at a hearing last Friday, and more joined them at a rally outside the Statehouse later in the day. Only two people testified in favor.
Jim Soumas, principal officer for Teamsters union Local 190, said it is "inappropriate" to expect unions to do their work with optional dues.
"It's like asking a business to provide a free service," Soumas pointed out. "There's cost to the union to provide professional representation and negotiation skills. We provide that for our members but that comes with a cost."
After the bill failed a committee vote Saturday, its sponsor, Sen. Mark Noland, R-Bigfork, tried to force it out of committee but 14 majority Republicans joined Democrats to block the move.
Jason Hottel, a member of Ironworkers Local 732, said early in his career, he worked in Idaho, a "right to work" state. He could not live off the wages, he said, so he moved back to Montana, a state with a strong union history.
"Since then, it's been night and day with what it's done for my life," Hottel explained. "The people around me and my children and everybody else involved with my life has been the biggest impact."
Hottel added he rallied at the Capitol to be an example for younger union workers. Montana is one of 23 states to have not passed so-called "right to work" legislation.
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PNS - Tuesday, March 4, 2025 - The Trump administration puts 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. New York wants newly fired federal workers for state service, and the GAO's High Risk report finds ways to make the government more efficient.
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PNS - Tuesday, March 4, 2025 - No last-minute deal for Canada or Mexico to avoid tariffs, Trump says; Rural AZ hotel's solar installation in limbo after federal funding freeze; Maryland medical aid-in-dying bill may pass after a decade; New findings: State workforces suffer when abortion restrictions tighten.
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By Kathleen Shannon - Producer, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - The Montana Legislature has tabled some housing bills and passed others so far this session. A group that empowers young people to participate in the political process held a recent virtual training on how to provide effective public comment, on these and other bills. Comments by Sage Bennett, housing organizer, Forward Montana; and John Bazant [buh-ZANT], state legislative coordinator, Forward Montana.
Click on the image above for the audio. Montana Senate Bill 243, to amend zoning regulations to allow taller buildings, passed a second reading in the Senate on Friday. (Roman Babakin/Adobe Stock)
Kathleen Shannon
March 3, 2025 - Legislative bills on housing have seen mixed results in Montana so far this session.
A state nonprofit group held an online training on how to provide public comment about those bills - aimed at young people, for whom affordable housing is a major challenge.
Montana's population grew by over 36,000 people between 2020 and early 2024, creating massive housing shortages and skyrocketing prices.
Sage Bennett, housing organizer with the advocacy group Forward Montana, said providing written comments on bills or verbal comments during hearings can help expand others' worldviews.
"You don't have to be a policy expert to share testimony," said Bennett. "That's what our elected officials are there to understand. And we are there to provide comment, to be able to have them understand the real world impacts that these policies have on us."
Housing-related bills working their way through the Legislature include one to amend zoning laws to allow taller buildings, and another to establish a grant program to create permanent supportive housing for people dealing with homelessness.
A bill to provide some renters the first right to buy a property if their landlord intends to sell was tabled last week.
Those who want to comment online must create an account and register for a bill hearing at least two hours in advance.
Forward Montana's State Legislative Coordinator John Bazant said commenters should come prepared, but be flexible, as time allotments for comments may change.
"This one-minute warning beep can be pretty jarring and it will probably interrupt you," said Bazant. "And then because it can depend on how long they give you for your testimony, having a long version and a short version is a ton of help."
According to the Montana Budget and Policy Center, workers paid the state's $10.55 minimum wage would have to work 80 to 90 hours per week to afford fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Flathead, Gallatin, Missoula, and three other counties.
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