Tagged: right to work

Michigan Radio Lansing Bureau Chief Rick Pluta inside the Capitol

Reuters' Rick Carey and Bernie Woodall dug into the process by which right to work legislation was passed in the union stronghold of Michigan, and found that it was the result of dogged, behind-the-scenes work by some of Michigan's newest legislators.

That runs contrary to the idea in many published reports that the legislation took on a sudden life of its own, a kind of "seize the day" mentality, after the defeat of Proposal 2 in November.

From the story:

Don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the current lame duck session of the legislature is trying to do about as much as lawmakers normally do in about ten years. Now I am sure that’s an exaggeration, but it doesn’t feel like one.

Consider this. In a single day, the governor and the Republican majority pushed through the most momentous labor legislation in years, taking the once inconceivable step of outlawing the union shop and making Michigan a so-called right to work state.

They aren’t stopping there, however: The governor is going to have to make a decision on four bills, or parts of bills aimed at making it harder for women to get abortions in Michigan.

For the last two years, lots of people have believed that Rick Snyder may be a pro-business fiscal conservative, but that he was really a moderate on social issues. Well, now we are about to find out.

Tim Bos- a union member for 17 years- is now a vocal proponent of right-to-work.

Bos spoke with Cyndy about what he feels are the positive impacts the legislation will have on Michigan.

“I was very pleased to see what happened. When I got involved in this...this was just a dream," said Bos.

"We didn’t know if we would ever see it happen, but it was something we felt very strongly about. It didn’t have anything to do with being against unions, we love unions."

Bos described why he felt unions have an important role in protecting workers from bad-acting companies.

"We cherish that. We want to make sure that always stays healthy and available. On the other hand, we think that it has been very detrimental to the union cause and to workers in general by being forced to financially support... a third party that is allowed to siphon off part of your earnings just in order for you to have the ability to continue working,” said Bos.

Canty pointed out that workers can vote to decertify the union if they don't like.

Bos agreed, but said workers feel immense pressure not to do so.

"This whole thing is about power and money," said Bos.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Protests are taking place a day after Republicans converted Michigan from a seemingly impregnable fortress of organized labor into a right-to-work state.

Protesters covered their mouths with tape Wednesday in Lansing with the words "$1,500 less" written on it in reference to wage cuts they expect. Silent protests also took place in Saginaw and were planned elsewhere.

In Detroit, dozens of noisy protesters entered a state of Michigan office building to voice their opposition to right-to-work.

The state House swiftly approved two bills reducing unions' strength Tuesday, one dealing with private-sector workers and the other with public employees, as thousands of furious protesters at the state Capitol roared in vain.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder signed the measures into law within hours, calling them "pro-worker and pro-Michigan."

Comedian Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's Daily Show led his show with the 'right-to-work' drama that unfolded yesterday.

He took aim at Gov. Rick Snyder who reversed his stance that 'right-to-work' legislation was too divisive an issue to take on.

STEWART:

"Maybe it won't be so bad?

I mean the phrase 'right-to-work' is such a positive and uplifting message. What could it possibly to do to organizations like unions that also support workers rights?

I mean, the law probably strengthens unions."

NEWS CLIP:

Last night, after the demonstrations and protests, and after the right to work bills had been signed into law by Governor Snyder, I got a series of phone calls from prominent Democrats.

Geoffrey Fieger was one of those. The famously flamboyant lawyer was, we sometimes forget, the Democratic nominee for governor in 1998. “What are they thinking!“ he yelled over the phone. “This is the end of Snyder. Snyder is going down. All the Democrats have to do is find a candidate. Trust me. He or she will have all the money they need. We have got to defeat him. He is a bad man. An evil man, and a puppet. People know that now.”

Well, you can’t say that there is any doubt about how Geoffrey Fieger feels. And whatever your politics, there is certainly no doubt that Rick Snyder is less popular than he was a month ago.

Indeed, there is a big sense of betrayal on the part of people who had convinced themselves that Snyder was a moderate much like former Governor William Milliken. The Detroit Free Press’s editorial page’s reaction sounded more like that of a jilted lover than of a newspaper disappointed in a politician.

They wrote, “We believed him. For two years we supported Snyder. We indulged many compromises Snyder maintained were necessary to advance his pro-growth agenda. We trusted Snyder’s judgment. That trust has now been betrayed for us.“

There were a lot of people outside Michigan’s capitol yesterday who believe Snyder is going down, that he will either be defeated two years from now or even recalled before that.

But I am not so sure.

It has been quite a week in Michigan politics.

Morning Edition host Christina Shockley and Michigan Radio's political analyst Jack Lessenberry discuss what happens now that right to work bills have been signed into law and what other controversial bills are being looked at in the remainder of the lame duck session.