As the Michigan Legislature prepares to pass bills outlawing mandatory union membership, an alliance of organized labor and environmental groups is calling on the state’s governor to veto them.
“Clearly, extreme Republicans in the Michigan Legislature didn’t get the message of the last election — that people want lawmakers to focus on working together to rebuild the middle class and ensure there is opportunity for prosperity for all Americans,” said David Foster, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance. “Instead, these legislators are focusing on a divisive agenda straight out of the far-right’s playbook. We urge Governor Snyder to veto this bill.”
Lawmakers in Lansing, Mich., are debating the bills today, and they are expected to pass the GOP-controlled state House and Senate. Gov. Rick Snyder, also a Republican, has said he will sign them.
“Right-to-work isn’t going to make the people of Michigan more prosperous or create jobs; it will simply undermine Michigan’s collaborative work place culture which has restored the U.S. auto industry to economic health,” Foster said. “In right-to-work states, workers make an average $1,500 per year less and recieve fewer benefits like health insurance and pensions."