U.S. | Fri Nov 18, 2016 | 6:56pm EST

U.S. appeals court upholds local 'right-to-work' law in Kentucky

By Robert Iafolla

A federal appeals court upheld a Kentucky county’s so-called right-to-work ordinance on Friday, clearing the way for local-level laws that restrict labor unions' role in the workplace.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio ruled that federal labor law does not block Hardin County from banning the use of agreements between employers and unions that require workers to join a union.

A 6th Circuit panel composed of three Republican-appointed judges ruled that counties enjoy the same rights as states to enforce right-to-work laws that forbid these so-called union security agreements.

The panel reversed a decision by U.S. District Judge David Hale in Louisville, Kentucky, an Obama appointee, who struck down the ordinance in February after a challenge by a coalition of unions led by a United Auto Workers affiliate.