Gov. Matt Bevin has filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss a legal challenge to Kentucky's new law banning mandatory union fees in workplaces.
The Republican governor and Labor Secretary Derrick Ramsey are defendants in the lawsuit, which claims the right-to-work law violates Kentucky's Constitution.
The Kentucky State AFL-CIO and Teamsters Local 89 filed the suit last month.
The governor's motion to dismiss the suit says the new law is "sound legislation" that meets constitutional requirements.
Bevin's administration said Friday the lawsuit seeks to rob Kentuckians of job opportunities. His office points to an aluminum company that recently credited the right-to-work law as a significant factor in its decision to build a $1.3 billion plant in northeastern Kentucky.
State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan calls the new law "misnamed" and "punitive."