Right to work in Michigan?

In a rather surprising development, last week the Michigan legislature passed a right to work law that would strip unions of their ability to coerce non-union members into paying dues. The Michigan governor, Rick Snyder has said he will sign the bill into law when it reaches his desk.

To say this is a major assault on the unions would be an understatement. Unions despise right to work laws and the state that have implemented them. Why? Because workers will drop the union so fast, only the speed of light is faster…and not by much. Here are some of the details from articles on Fox News, the first one titled: Michigan Republicans draw union ire with sudden votes on right-to-work legislation.

Michigan Republicans touched off a firestorm Thursday with an abrupt push to pass right-to-work legislation, in what would be a blow to organized labor in the home of the U.S. auto industry.

This would be the same “Organized Labor” that has essentially collapsed the auto industry in Michigan.

Right-to-work legislation prohibits unions from forcing workers to pay union dues. Unions and their Democratic allies adamantly oppose these laws — but with little warning, Michigan Republicans on Thursday laid the groundwork to, in a matter of days, make their state the 24th with right-to-work legislation.

Unions, at least in the private sector are dying. Only about 6.9% of private sector workers belong to a union. The primary reason for this is simple. Unions no longer are seen as protecting the rights of the workers. Considering what just happened with Hostess Brands inc, and the Bakers union, this shouldn’t be a surprise ((Failed talks with union spells end to Twinkie-maker Hostess)). Most people do not want to belong to a union and hate being forced to pay what is basically a kickback for the “privilege” of keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Just hours after the bills were introduced, both Republican-controlled chambers approved measures prohibiting private unions from requiring dues. The Senate quickly followed by voting to impose the same requirement on most public unions.

“This is all about taking care of the hard-working workers in Michigan, being pro-worker and giving them freedom to make choices,” Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said. “The goal isn’t to divide Michigan, it is to bring Michigan together.”

The unions, needless to say, are not to happy with this turn of events. In another Fox News story:

Union members and supporters are gearing up for a massive protest Tuesday in Michigan’s capital in a last-ditch effort to stall the expected passage of “right-to-work” legislation, as they already make plans to challenge the proposal in court.

How dare these peons think they can stop our extortion of the working classes! We’ll show them! Now I wonder if those protesters will be actual union members, or paid protestors ((To Protest Hiring of Nonunion Help, Union Hires Nonunion Pickets))? Probably not. There are plenty of union members in good standing who are out of work thanks to their unions that can put in an appearance.

“It’s an attack on working families, and we’re gonna be there. We’re not gonna stand for it,” Bernie Ricke, president of the United Auto Workers Local 600, said, according to MyFoxDetroit.

Actually, this is an attack on union fat cats like Bernie Ricke. These overpaid slobs care nothing for the people they purport to represent.

According to MyFoxDetroit, members of Local 600 in Dearborn met Saturday to plan for the massive Tuesday demonstration, even going through a practice protest run with some members pretending to be Tea Partiers in support of “right-to-work” legislation.

So I guess that means they are planning a campaign of vandalism, violence and terror? These are the usual means of protest by unions after all. Now, according to the law, this bill has to be voted on again by both houses of the legislature. Without a doubt, it will pass and be sent to the governors desk, and he has said he will sign it. Once that happens, the unions will promptly head to court and bribe a judge ask the courts to vacate the law.

Though Republicans control the capital and have the votes to send the bill to Snyder’s desk, opponents are planning to mount a legal challenge should that happen. Given the rapid manner with which the bills moved and the fact some demonstrators were kept out of the chambers, Democrats say they’ll challenge under open-meetings laws.

I have a suspicion that this will be a popular law with the workers in Michigan. Other states that have right to work laws are actually doing better than those that have been destroyed by unionism. In fact, workers are generally better off in a non-union shop than in a union one. Right off the bat, they don’t have to pay the kickbacks to the unions. That’s money right into their own pockets.

There is another group that hates right to work laws. That would be the Democrat Party. The Democrats are a wholly owned subsidiary of the unions in America. In all probability, if it wasn’t for the unions, Romney would be president elect and both the Senate would be going Republican next month.

The unions expect their bought and paid for politicians to help them out. One of the things they want is an end to Right to work laws and forced membership in unions. They way they want to do this is to use something called “Card Check. ((Neutrality Agreements and Card Check Elections)) , ((What is Card Check?))” I’m not going into the details of Card Check, I’ve provided a few footnotes for you to follow.

Back to Michigan, the various unions are uniting to protect their extortion racket.

Snyder, though, said he’s “not picking a fight.”

“I feel this is solving an issue for Michigan workers. We have hardworking people in Michigan and this is about giving workers choice,” he said.

Michigan unions see this weakening their foundation.

“You will have people that will be working right alongside of you that will not have to pay union dues as you pay union dues, but will still be able to get all the benefits from being a union member,” UAW member Gloria Keyes told Fox News.

And here is the big question Ms. Keyes fails to ask. What are the benefits to being in a union these days? Protection from evil bosses and corporations? Nope. We have 80 years of labor laws on the books and being enforced. How about the generous union pensions? You’re kidding right? Here’s a few little details on just how well funded those pensions are. From NetRight Daily:

You will be guaranteed a safe, flush retirement fund for life. This has been the standard pitch from organized labor to workers who could earn more in the private sector. But government figures show that union pension plans are in trouble; especially for rank-and-file members who are not in leadership positions.

In fact, almost half the nation’s largest unions have pension funds that federal law categorizes as being either “endangered” or in “critical” condition, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Form 5500 shows. This list would include underfunded plans attached to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the International Brothers of Electrical Workers, the Laborers International Union of Northern America, the International Association of Machinists, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, the International Union of Operating Engineers and the National Plumbers Union.

Head on over to NetRight Daily for more details including links to various reports and stats on just how bad off the Union pension system is. This is actually one of the reasons unions want to force people into them. They need the money to refill the pensions they’ve been looting and mismanaging for decades.

Ok, then, how about protecting the jobs of the workers? Please don’t make me laugh. Manufacturing has been all but destroyed in this country. While unions aren’t the only reason, they are a major reason for this. Because of the insistent demands from unions, and the inability of companies to quickly adjust to meet the changing business environment, corporations have tossed in the towel and moved overseas. Labor is cheaper and the workers don’t go on strike because the company used a cheaper brand of toilet paper or something.

One of the areas that is seeing an increase in manufacturing is states that have, wait for it, right to work laws. Now, as I said, unions aren’t the only reason. We also have government bureaucrats and agencies making it impossible to hire people.

Recently, ILWU clerical workers went on strike and closed the west coast ports. These greedy, lazy good for nothing scum decided to do as much damage as they could to the American economy. These union thugs are not overworked and underpaid. Just the opposite in fact. I would read Michelle Malkin’s column on what is going on over there.

We are finally seeing a reaction to 50 years of incessant union demands and corruption coming home to roost. The day of the union is pretty much over, and all these fat cat union heads know it. States that have for decades pretty much let the unions have their way are now bankrupt. States that have started reigning in the unions are seeing growth. Just look at Detroit. The city is all but dead. There is even talk of dissolving it as an independent entity because they have so mismanaged their affairs ((Cities to Dissolve? – Detroit and Surrounding Cities Bankrupt)). California, Illinois, New York, all are big union states and all are collapsing financially, in large part due to gold plated union contracts and benefits. I think the Michigan state legislature has had enough and this new law shows it. If they can keep it, it will be interesting to see what happens to the state. Will businesses return if they don’t have to worry about union blackmail? We shall see.

One thing the unions tried to do recently in Michigan was to rewrite the constitution to protect unions. This proposal was hot down in flames by the voters. Here is the text of the now defunct proposal:

• Grant public and private employees the constitutional right to organize and bargain collectively through labor unions.
• Invalidate existing or future state or local laws that limit the ability to join unions and bargain collectively, and to negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements, including employees’ financial support of their labor unions. Laws may be enacted to prohibit public employees from striking.
• Override state laws that regulate hours and conditions of employment to the extent that those laws conflict with collective bargaining agreements.
• Define “employer” as a person or entity employing one or more employees.

This proposal, if it had been accepted by the voters, would have killed most businesses in Michigan and basically bankrupt the state. So, being selfish, the voters told the unions pushing this to take a hike. This was probably another reason the State Legislature felt they could push through a right to work law. As I mentioned earlier, the Democrats are very unhappy with this bill. In fact, one moonbat,Gretchen Whitmer ((Gretchen Whitmer D-Michigan 23rd district)), was reported to have asked Der Fubar, Barky Obama, to withhold Federal money until Governor Snyder changes his mind and vetoes the bill when it arrives on his desk. While I don’t doubt Obama would love to sic the Labor and justice departments on Michigan, this is a classic case of States Rights and frankly, Obama would lose. (Not that he would care. He would just sign an Executive order repealing the law)

Whitmer is a bought and paid for Democrat. The fact that should would beg her Lord and Master, the SCoaMF, to hurt her own constituents, (The ones that voted for her, not her union masters), demonstrates just how far gone the union movement is in the United States. They can’t demonstrate a reason for workers to join them, so they will resort to their normal tactics of bribery, extortion, threats, sabotage and violence. This bill, when it becomes law, will be yet another nail in the coffin of “Big Labor.”

Thatisall

~The Angry Webmaster~

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