LANSING (WWJ) -- The Michigan Senate has voted to repeal the state's Right-To-Work law, which has been in place for the past decade.
The repeal now moves on to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is expected to sign it.
As for what the repeal will do, in short it will require employees working in a union shop to pay union dues in order to work there.
When promoting Right-to-Work in Michigan back in 2012, then-governor Rick Snyder said the purpose was to give workers the opportunity to join a union and pay any associated dues if they want to, instead of forcing workers to pay union dues as a condition for employment. Snyder asserted that Right-to-Work laws were shown to bring new and better jobs in states where they're enacted, although it's unclear if that came to pass in Michigan.
On the other side, powerful unions — including the Michigan Education Association, UAW and AFL-CIO — have said Right-to-Work was an attempt to shut down the unions and let big businesses create lower-paying jobs.
WWJ Newsradio 950's Beth Fisher spoke with Pat Devlin, Secretary-Treasurer of the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council.
"We're definitely supportive of the repeal. It was a very divisive piece of legislation that passed. It wasn't good for the work environment," Devlin said.
"It just wasn't a fair piece of legislation," he added. "I compare it to walking into the Detroit Athletic Club and saying, 'This is a beautiful club. I'm a member here, and I love all the amenities and everything that comes with it...I'm just gonna stop paying my membership dues tomorrow.'"
Among those speaking against the repeal is Director of Americans for Prosperity -Michigan, Annie Patnaude, who said scrapping the law would only hurt Michigan workers.
"Some people are saying repealing Right-to-Work is about worker freedom; it's exactly the opposite," she told Fisher. "This is an insult to workers to tell them that they do not have the choice to choose which organizations they join and fund with their hard-earned money."
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"The Michigan legislature, they are telling 150,000 Michigan workers that they should lose their jobs because they have chosen to exercise their First Amendment Right to free association, and choose not to join their workplace union."
There is a $1 million appropriation in the bill that would deem it referendum proof. Despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer saying she would not sign a bill that had any money attached to it, she is expected to sign the legislation.
Legislation restoring the state's prevailing wage law, which requires contractors hired for state projects to pay union-level wages, was also approved by the committee. Prevailing wage was repealed by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2018.
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