Michigan Becomes a Right-to-Work State (Video)

Raiding Consciousness: Why the War on Drugs Is a War on Human Nature

Going Up

European Union & Nobel Peace Prize

Pot

Raiding Consciousness: Why the War on Drugs Is a War on Human Nature
By Lewis Lapham, TomDispatch Same-Sex Marriage and the Supreme Court’s Historic Choice
By Bill Blum The Peril of a Sentient GOP
By Eugene Robinson The Unsilenced Voice of a ‘Long-Distance Revolutionary’
By Chris Hedges
Pot Is Officially Legal in Colorado, Allen West Is a Sore Loser, and More Ailing Hugo Chavez Names Successor Stephen Colbert Is South Carolina’s Favorite to Replace DeMint The Metaphorical ‘War on Drugs’ Gets All Too Real Supreme Court Paved Way for Gay Marriage, Scalia Said Nearly a Decade Ago
‘Left, Right & Center’: All Fiscal Cliff, All the Time Doha Climate Talks Roundup Fox News Host Tells Female Victims of Violence to ‘Make Better Decisions’ Anti-Abortion Christian Reality TV Show to Try to Shame Women
Glenn Greenwald Condemns ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Torture Porn
Psy Shames Himself With Unqualified Apology (Video)
By Alexander Reed Kelly Reports of Publishing’s Death Are Exaggerated
By Susan Zakin Bill Murray Captures FDR’s Pain and Wit in ‘Hyde Park’
By Richard Schickel
The Questions Education Reformers Aren’t Asking
Dig led by Mike Rose

Gore Vidal: His Life and Legacy
Dig led by Truthdig Staff

advertisement

-->
Dateline HavanaBy Reese Erlich
$17.90

advertisement

-->
Emancipation: How Liberating Europe’s Jews From the Ghetto Led to Revolution and RenaissanceBy Michael Goldfarb
$19.80

advertisement

-->
Golf Shirt$23

  Email    Print    Share

Tweet Posted on Dec 11, 2012 AP/Paul Sancya

Protesters of Michigan’s right-to-work legislation mass in the rotunda of the State Capitol in Lansing.

Michigan legislators approved a bill Tuesday that curbs unions’ abilities to collect fees from nonunion workers, as protesters gathered and were arrested at the state Senate.

State Republicans pushed the law through before their majority shrinks in January, when Democrats will gain five House seats.

The legislation, which before Michigan’s passage existed in some form in 23 states, makes it illegal for workers to be required to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Opponents say it can lead to a “free rider” problem, in which workers who do not pay union fees still enjoy the benefits of collective bargaining funded by other members. Democrats recognize the law as an attempt to sap the power of unions and diminish their influence.

Unions say that wages in right-to-work states are lower than in those without such regulations. The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute supports that claim, finding in February 2011 that wages in states that carry the law are on average 3.2 percent lower than in those without it.

Michigan lawmakers are also weighing a right-to-work bill that focuses on private sector workers.

—Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

The Guardian:

The Teamsters union, which helped host the training sessions at the weekend, said hundreds of people are “ready to get arrested” in the push against right-to-work legislation.

Union officials said the mass demonstration outside the capitol would be accompanied by flash mobs, rallies and news conferences throughout the day.

Barack Obama, who reiterated his opposition to right-to-work laws on Thursday, was due in Michigan on Monday as he presses his case for fiscal cliff negotiations to result in tax hikes for the wealthiest Americans. It is not known if Obama will discuss Michigan’s right-to-work status, but last week White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said the president “continues to oppose” the law.

Read more

‘Democracy Now!’:

More Below the Ad

Advertisement

TAGS: michigan right to work unions workers workers rights



Related Entries Pot Is Officially Legal in Colorado, Allen West Is a Sore Loser, and More Organizing Walmart: Why Austerity Economics Hurts Low-Wage Workers the Most ‘The Daily Show’: Jon Stewart Takes on Walmart, Black Friday Michigan Republicans Propose Absurd Tax Credit

Email to a friend

Get truth delivered to
your inbox every week.

Previous item: Pot Is Officially Legal in Colorado, Allen West Is a Sore Loser, and More

New and Improved Comments

If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Get Truthdig in your inbox

Newsletter

Become a Fan

Follow Us

Subscribe

     
       #donation_div {display:none;}.popup {background:#FFF; border:1px solid #333; padding:1px;}.popup-header {height:65px; padding: 30px 40px 10px 50px;}.popup-header h2 {margin:0; padding:0; font-size:18px; float:left;}.popup-header .close-link {float:right; font-size:11px;}.popup-body {padding: 20px 70px 20px 50px;}a {color: #990000;}Close

Give the gift of independent journalism.

Support Truthdig by making a donation of at least $25 in someone's name, and we'll send him or her a signed letter of appreciation from our publisher.

With your support, we've been able to pay writers such as Chris Hedges, Col. Ann Wright, Mr. Fish and Nomi Prins.

We've sent reporters around the world, from Afghanistan to Cairo to Cuba.

Thanks to you, our mission to find and publish a range of insightful opinion and analysis from a progressive point of view continues.

Support Truthdig

HOME|Digs|Reports|Arts & Culture|Uncovered|Ear to the Ground|A/V Booth|Cartoons
Tags|Bazaar|Podcast|About Us|Contact Us|User Agreement|Privacy Policy|FAQ: Comments and Moderation | Google+ Google+
A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
© 2012 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved. Web site development by Hop Studios 

View the Original article