Another stab at right-to-work ?

The below listed article was written by Mr. Rick Haglund of Michigan Business and appeared in the Sunday, November 18,2012 issue of “The Bay City Times” Michigan Business page D 1.

I agree with what Mr. Haglund says in the article and suggest that it should be taken as a warning to all who oppose right-to-work laws in Michigan.

” There’s much speculation that lawmakers soon will take upright-to-work legislation after voters rejected a ballot proposal that would have locked collective bargaining rights in the state constitution.

Former Kalamazoo-area State Rep. Jack Hoogendyke, who is pushing to make Michigan a right-to-work state, says now is the time.

Right-to-work laws prohibit companies from negotiation contracts with unions that require the payment of union dues.

” If conditions were ever perfect for this to happen, they are right now.” Hoogendyk, who represents an organization called Michigan Freedom to Work, said in a news release last week.

Or are they?

Yes, voters rejected guaranteeing collective bargaining rights in the state constitution.

And there is support for right-to-work among Republican lawmakers who control the Legislature.

But not all legislative leaders are on board. Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville has said he is opposed to right-to-work.

Gov. Rick Snyder continues to dance around the issue. Snyder told reporters the day after the Nov. 6 election that right-to-work still is not on his agenda because it is too divisive.

But Hoogendyke points out there’s a YouTube video of Snyder ( see it at bit.ly/snyderyoutube ) in which he said in 2010 he would sign a right-to-work bill should one reach his desk.

Rep. Mike Shirkey, a Grass Lake Republican who has been itching to introduce right-to-work legislation for months, isn’t convinced Snyder is supportive.

And Shirkey told me for a post-election story I wrote for Bridge magazine he will not introduce a bill until he knows Snyder will sigh it.

” I’m not going to give up, but having the governor’s support is absolutely key to this.” he said.

Shirkey says he supports collective bargaining rights but says workers should have the right to decide whether they want to be part of a labor union.

Unions say right-to-work laws create ” free riders, ” workers in union shops who don’t pay union dues but who are represented by unions in contract negotiations and grievance proceedings.

And that’s the point.  Right -to-work advocates are counting on lots of workers covered by union contracts to opt out of paying dues, shrinking the financial muscle of labor unions.

Some lawmakers and business lobbyists say the unions brought on this fight by putting collective bargaining on the ballot.

But union leaders say it was the right-to-work saber-rattling that pushed them to try to protect collective bargaining, especially for public workers.

Hoogendyke is stretching it when he says this is the ” perfect ” time to enact right-to-work. But bad blood between labor and right-to-work supporters ensures the issue won’t soon go away.”

Email: haglund.rick@gmail.com