John Goodman lends voice against Missouri's 'right-to-work' bill, calls it 'corporate greed'

Actor John Goodman has lent his voice to a radio ad opposing Missouri's right-to-work law ahead of an Aug. 7 referendum, reports said Tuesday. (Associated Press)

Missouri unions are getting some Hollywood help in their fight against the state’s proposed right-to-work law ahead of an Aug. 7 referendum, reports said Tuesday.

Actor John Goodman, a Missouri native, is featured in a radio ad opposing the right-to-work bill, calling it a bust for the middle class and boon for big business, the Springfield News-Leader reported.

"Maybe you've heard of Proposition A, the Missouri Senate's so-called 'right-to-work' bill," Goodman says in the ad. "The name's deceiving: The bill will not give you the right to work. Instead, it gives big business and out-of-state corporations the right to pay you less than they do now.

"It's being sold as a way to help Missouri workers," the “Roseanne” co-star continues, "but look a little deeper, and you'll see it's all about corporate greed."

The proposed law would ban unions from collecting mandatory dues and make it a crime for employers to require workers to join unions as a condition of employment.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, of which Goodman is a member, paid for the ad.

"It's being sold as a way to help Missouri workers, but look a little deeper, and you'll see it's all about corporate greed."

— John Goodman

Pamela Greenwalt, a spokeswoman for SAG-AFTRA, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the ad is running only in the St. Louis market, but other reports indicated it could expand to Springfield.

While state lawmakers passed the law banning mandatory union fees last year, opponents gathered enough signatures to put it to a public vote. Supporters believe they should be able to choose whether they pay fees in industries that require union membership.

Goodman is set to star in two upcoming shows, including the ABC spinoff of “Roseanne” tentatively titled “The Conners,” and a new HBO comedy created by comedian Danny McBride about a world-famous televangelist family, titled “The Righteous Gemstones.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.