The Alabama Retail Association board of directors voted to support two of the 14 statewide amendments on the Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, General Election ballot.
Vote ‘Yes’ on Amendment 8
Alabama is a right-to-work state. Amendment 8 puts the weight of the Alabama Constitution behind the state’s right-to-work law. Right-to-work laws create a “right to work” for an employee regardless of whether or not that employee joins a union. These laws guarantee that no employee can be forced to join, or not join, a union, or be forced to pay dues to a labor union as a condition of employment.
Pass or fail, the right to work in Alabama will remain the same. A “Yes” vote means any future changes to the state’s right-to-work status will require a vote of the people to change the Constitution, rather than a vote of the Alabama Legislature.
Vote ‘Yes’ on Amendment 14
A “yes” vote protects local laws passed by the Legislature prior to Nov. 8, 2016. Without an affirmative vote on this amendment, more than 700 local measures could be challenged and invalidated by the courts, including many affecting Alabama retailers, such as Sunday alcohol sales and draft beer. This amendment corrects a procedural issue with how local laws were previously approved.
A total of 14 amendments will appear on ballots statewide. The Alabama Retail Association board of the directors has only taken a position on the two above. To help its members better understand the amendments, we have written a summary of all 14 amendments.