Lee is distancing himself from a claim attributed to him falsely alleging that employees will be forced to pay union dues if Amendment 1 does not pass.
CROSSVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday distanced himself from a claim attributed to him falsely alleging that employees will be forced to pay union dues if the state's so-called right-to-work law is not enshrined in the state constitution.
Last week, organizers behind the proposed constitutional amendment posted a message they said came from the Republican governor. The statement included a long list of reasons supposedly from Lee on why the amendment would benefit Tennessee, but it also had Lee warning that if the amendment fails "hard-working Tennesseans will be FORCED to fall in line, pay union dues, and join organizations that give payouts to political cronies."
"I didn't make that tweet," Lee told The Associated Press at a campaign stop.
The tweet was posted Oct. 25 by the Vote Yes on 1 committee, where Lee serves as the state chairman.
Justin Owen, who is on the group's executive committee, did not directly answer questions about Lee distancing himself from the recent post or how Lee's name came to be on the message. Instead, he pointed out that the current Democratic-controlled House has approved a bill that would make it easier for workers to form unions and bargain for higher wages, also known as the "Protecting the Right to Organize" or PRO Act.
"The fact is, if the PRO Act passes the U.S. Senate, our...
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