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As you probably know, Governor Rick Snyder (R) of Michigan, aided with the Republican majority in the state house, passed the union-busting "Right To Work" legislation yesterday:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
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The law would prevent unions and employers from requiring workers to pay the costs of their union representation, such as handling grievances or bargaining contracts. Rather, union members would bear those costs on behalf of their non-union coworkers, something that's been described as a tax on union membership. A separate bill will apply to public sector workers. - Laura Clawson, Daily Kos, 12/6/12
Snyder is going down the union-busting road like his fellow Republican Governors, Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio. State Democratic Representative, Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, and President Obama have spoken out against the "right to work" legislation. U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D. MI) is urging Governor Snyder to reconsider this union-busting legislation. Surprisingly and unfortunately, I could only find his full statement from (shudder) Great Van Susteren's blog:
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”The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively is fundamental, and all workers who benefit from collective bargaining should contribute to that effort. The labor movement helped pave the road to the middle class for millions of workers. The combined efforts of labor and management have been crucial to the rebound of our auto industry. That’s why it is so disappointing that the governor and Republicans in the Michigan Legislature have chosen this moment to take this destructive step.
“I urge Governor Snyder to reconsider his support for this measure, which will splinter our state and do so much harm to its working families.” - Great Wire, 12/6/12
Well said Senator Levin. Well said. I'm not sure what the next stage of action is on this law but I am glad to hear Senator Levin voice his support for organized labor and against "right to work" legislation.
My bet is Snyder might be worried about unions spending big in 2014 to defeat him and help Senator Levin get re-elected. However, Levin hasn't announced yet if he will be running again or retiring. Expect an answer from Levin early next year though. Either way, the battle between organized labor and corporatism isn't over yet. We defeated big outside group money in 2012 and we need to get ready for 2014. We not only need to keep Michigan's U.S. Senate seat blue, we need to take back the state house. Lets help Michigan Democrats win big in 2014 so they can continue to fight for organized labor and the middle class. You can get involved with the Michigan Democratic Party here:
http://www.michigandems.com/
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