LANSING – Whether it’s called right-to-work, right-to-work-for-less or freedom to work, becoming the 24th state in the union to have a law barring workers with unionized employers from having to pay union dues or a fee unleashed about as many opinions as the crowd that rallied outside the Capitol on Tuesday.
Not surprisingly, many non-union, conservative or Republican groups heralded the legislation while liberal, Democratic groups and individuals huffed at its legislative success.
The National Right to Work Committee said the passage of the bills was “a great day for Michigan’s workers and taxpayers,” adding: “Voluntarism and free association are quintessential American ideals and we applaud Michigan’s efforts to embrace worker freedom and individual choice in regards to union affiliation.”
In a statement, the group also said: “Over the past decade, private sector employment increased by 12.5 percent in Right to Work states, but fell by 5.9 percent in Michigan.”
Foes of right-to-work would say Michigan’s unemployment spike was due to the implosion of the manufacturing sector, not closed union shops.
National Right to Work pointed to a recent study by a Barry Poulson, former president of the North American Economics and Finance Association, as showing that “families in right-to-work states have nearly $4,300 more in purchasing power than families in non-right-to-work states,” the group said.
The non-union Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan also applauded the implementation, also suggesting that it would help the state with its “long overdue comeback.”
“Today the Michigan Legislature stood up for the hardworking women and men of our state,” Chris Fisher, president of ABC of Michigan, said in a statement. “Workers will now have the right to freely choose whether or not to affiliate with a labor union. Empowering Michigan workers with this basic choice is a tremendous step forward on behalf of equity and fairness in the workplace.”
The National Federation of Independent Business said the vote was of historic proportions and it saluted the lawmakers “that stood up for the rights of workers and for the future of our children who desire to work and live in our great state,” NFIB state director Charlie Owens said in a statement.
“Twenty years from now, it is doubtful that the average Michigan citizen will remember what lawmaker served in which district in the Michigan House the last days of session in the year 2012,” he said. “They will, however, remember the historic vote that lawmakers made today establishing a worker’s freedom to choose whether or not they want to belong to a labor union.”
The West Michigan Policy Forum also noted the historic relevance of the legislation, noting especially the length of time it has worked on right-to-work, which it called freedom to work.
“We have spent four years advocating for a Freedom to Work policy in Michigan on behalf of more than 1,000 business leaders and thousands of workers they represent,” Jared Rodriguez, president of the group, said in a statement. “Freedom to Work will help show the world Michigan is changing, we are open for business and we will become the best place to live and work in the nation.”
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy said right-to-work legislation would hold unions more accountable to their members and that creating the option to not pay dues or an agency fee would not necessarily crush unions in the state.
“Unions can – and do – still exist in right-to-work states,” Labor Policy Director Vincent Vernuccio said in a statement. “But people also have a right to say ‘no thank you’ when a union demands money for providing an unwanted service.”
He added: “This is a signal to job creators and entrepreneurs that Michigan is open for business. This will mean more and better jobs for our state. Jobs that will allow Michigan’s children and grandchildren to stay here and prosper.”
Democrats, liberal activists and union officials completely disagreed.
Congressional Democrats were most vocal about their opposition to the legislation and how it was handled by the Legislature and Governor Rick Snyder.
Former Governor Jennifer Granholm spoke about the day’s events with disdain on her program “The War Room” on Current TV.
“Like the term right-to-work itself, the act does the opposite of its name,” she said of the legislation’s name “The Workplace Fairness and Equality Act.” “There is nothing ‘fair’ or ‘equitable’ about crushing unions and driving down wages, which is what right-to-work does. As the president said, right-to-work is really right-to-work for less.”
Beyond workers earning less in right-to-work states, she said, those states also spend almost $2,700 less per pupil on elementary and secondary education, and the rate of workplace deaths is 52.9 percent higher.
“That’s bad news for America’s workers, but great news for McDonald’s, Walmart or any corporations paying full-time employees so little they’re poor,” she said. “It’s true. Global businesses want places to easily pay less to workers without clout, just like (they) do in their home countries. But their countries also don’t have our minimum wage or child-labor laws or safe-fire proof factories. Should America be in a race to the bottom, or lead in the treatment of workers with, dare I say, fairness and equity?”
She also said it was no coincidence that union members, African-Americans, women and Hispanics were among the groups hurt most by right-to-work laws.
“This is the Republican Party agenda, paid for by wealthy people who can buy our government and shape it for their personal benefit. This is the strategy of those like the Koch brothers and the DeVos family,” Ms. Granholm said. “They want to ensure a permanent Republican majority by cutting off the Democratic fundraising base – unions – and by punishing their constituencies. Their strategy is all about simply extinguishing their opponent – killing off their support, votes and money.”
And U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township), a possible challenger to Snyder in 2014, said in a statement that the governor erased his credibility by signing right-to-work legislation.
“With a stroke of his pen, Governor Snyder erased not only a decades old bipartisan consensus in support of workers’ rights, but his credibility as well. We learned that we can no longer take Governor Snyder at his word and he certainly is unwilling to stand up for Michigan’s middle class families,” he said. “This is a sad day for Michigan and we can only wonder which divisive issue Governor Snyder will champion next.”
Much like other Democrats and labor unions, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) said the effort to reverse the “wrong-headed action” would begin today (see related story). He also said the legislation would cripple the efforts of a union to represent people in the workplace, and that that representation helped to create the middle class.
Levin also criticized Governor Rick Snyder about his knowledge – or perhaps lack of, according to Levin – of what he called “labor-management relations.”
“The governor, he doesn’t understand labor management relations. He misdescribed what the issue is. Nobody has to join a union or pay union dues. If a majority votes to be represented, to have a voice in the workplace, that representative has to represent everybody,” he said. “There can be no discrimination. All the benefits have to flow to everybody else and they have to pay everybody a reasonable fee to help the union represent everybody. So essentially it is anti-union.”
Zack Pohl, executive director of Progress Michigan, also criticized Snyder.
“It’s clear Rick Snyder is one weak geek,” he said in a statement. “Signing these bills under the cover of darkness behind closed doors is the ultimate slap in the face to Michigan’s middle class families. RTW is tearing Michigan apart. It will weaken the middle class and won’t create jobs. It’s time for politicians in Lansing to stop the political power grabs and start working together to create good jobs and improve education.”
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