Commissioners send "right to work" exemption resolution to full Board after debate

Commissioner Henry E. Brooks introduced an add-on resolution asking the Tennessee General Assembly to permit Shelby County an exemption from the state right-to-work statute and to allow local control over labor relations. Brooks framed the item as a local response to persistent poverty and low wages: "The right to work law limits the ability of workers to organize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions," he said during committee comments.