The right to work legislation was approved by the Michigan State Senate.
Union protesters ringed the State Capitol building but were ignored (well, not exactly ignored, some got pepper sprayed).
Governor Rick Snyder pledged to sign it and said that it would bring the state together.
It surely clears the way for employers to hire hourly workers without benefits.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It will bring the state together – in misery.
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“Bring the state together”? Perhaps Snyder is correct, but not in the way he thinks. Michigan is a union state and with good reason. This b.s. is going to electrify activists throughout Michigan and provide a very strong bond between political/social progressives and unions that may make the Wisconsin recall vote look like a walk in the park for the GOP.
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Eff the GOP and the DIMS.
Sorry, I’m not supposed to speak that way. Eff those who think that I shouldn’t speak my mind.
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Two great tweets by Michael Moore @MMFlint in response:
1. You want the “right” not to join the union? Fine. Then I want u to cancel your health ins, work every wknd and reduce your pay to $5 an hour
2. Let’s be clear: You do NOT have the right to enjoy the great pay & benefits the union fought for unless u join the friggin’ union.
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I spent the day in the Capitol building. The RTW bill spent an hour and a half in the House, no committee meeting, no debate save for a series of ignored speeches by the Democrats. The Senate did the same.
The Governor earlier held a press conference across the street, causing the crowds to leave the Capitol building in order to fill the sidewalks to protest. When they returned to the Capitol, it was locked. First because of an altercation, then because the building was over capacity, then to save the building’s “structural integrity.”
I was there. The halls were empty. It took four hours for the unions to get a court order to open the doors, and that was ignored until the Democrats left the building demanding they be reopened.
Debating facts about Right to Work is a waste for time. They simply don’t matter. The Republicans talk about ‘freedom to work,’ but they and their business allies are jumping on this chance to defund the unions, and thereby defund their political opponents and cut costs for their businesses.
Michigan elected enough Republicans to run the House, the Senate and the Governor’s office. This is nothing but financial gerrymandering.
Elections matter.
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Also in Michigan: “State laying groundwork for managed bankruptcy for Detroit”. http://goo.gl/Bd55i
Detroit’s bankruptcy and voters’ electing Republicans who push for “Right to Work” legislation might be related.
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Detroit is going bankrupt because so many industries were outsourced. The voters didn’t do it. Neither did the kids.
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How people don’t see that simple fact is beyond me. Thanks for stating it!
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I sort-of agree, but voters might want to see a lot more union flexibility in the face of foreign and domestic competition. (In addition to foreign outsourcing there has been substantial domestic outsourcing to “right to work” states: http://goo.gl/L7b5f.) Instead, union inflexibility (right or wrong) has driven Detroit to bankruptcy. It remains to be seen how many more cities and states suffer a similar fate. I hope the answer is zero, but I fear that there will be quite a few.
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Yeah, Detroit’s bankruptcy had NOTHING to do with white flight, it was ALL “union inflexibility.”
Thanks for giving me a good laugh just now. I don’t think you were trying to be funny though.
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Also, citizens were denied access to the gallery because Republicans filled the seats with their aides. Rep. Brandon Dillon (rare Democrat from Grand Rapids) spoke what many of us were thinking, addressing the gallery situation and taking a shot at voucher supporter Dick Devos. It’s worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsI2xc_FYX0
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What a nightmare!
mb mbutz24@aol.com
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This just shows the insanity creeping furthur into our country. People voting against their best interests seems to be the fad. This is insanity. The U.S. has a very bad case of it. Don’t you just love the Orwellian feel of it “Right to Work.” Yes, that is what it is. It is just “Divide and Conquer.” Do you really think that you as a single person has any bargaining power with a large entity? If you do you must be on some really good drugs. This is all so that they can crush you without any rights and hold you in perpetual fear and deny benefits. This is “Fascist America.” Fascism is traditionally corporations running the government and what do you think you have here in the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court? Do you really think they are paid to care about you or their financial masters who put them there and control their financial future. If they cross those people do you think they will get that great paying job once they are out of office? Just look at the DeMint situation going on right now wherein he is quitting his Senate seat to go over to the Heritage Foundation as he can make more money and “Be More Effective.”
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Information from the National Lawyers Guild : Detroit and Michigan Chapter
People appear to be critically uninformed about what RIGHT TO WORK laws actually do, as well as what employee rights and duties are with respect to union membership in the status quo.
RIGHT NOW, IN THE STATUS QUO, you do NOT have to ever join a union as a precondition of employment. closed shops are unlawful. ALL you must do is pay some dues. Your union representation cannot FORCE you to go on strike (someone actually said this in a thread-hilarious). You can elect to be a scab any time you want.
With respect to the aforementioned dues: you DO NOT have to pay dues toward anything except the COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. You can get a refund at the end of the fiscal year for any portion of your dues that went to political or social activity (Beck objectors).
What right to work actually does: “Right to work” simply bars unions from mandating that employees in their units pay SOME dues. Right to work allows employees to benefit from the union’s leadership and bargaining victories without paying ANY dues, at all. Zip. Zero. Zilch. But you still get all the wages, benefits, and better working conditions that your union bargained for collectively.
For this reason, right to work is better characterized as RIGHT TO FREELOAD. Get all of the benefits of your union workplace, rights that people have fought and died for, for more than 100 years, and conveniently not have to pay a tiny percentage of your wages (e.g. 3%) to ensure that these rights are protected THROUGH COLLECTIVE BARGAINING and contract administration.
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