LANSING, Mich. — The plan prompted demonstrations in the Lansing Capitol by hundreds of chanting union supporters, some sporting Santa Claus hats. Police used pepper spray and arrested eight members of the crowd before closing the building, said Shanon Banner, a State Police spokeswoman.
The measures in the Republican-dominated Legislature would end closed workplaces in which employees must pay union dues and fees. The bills would cover public and private employees, though police and firefighters would be exempt, the Republican governor said during a news briefing.
Ah, the old divide and conquer strategy.
Ah, the old divide and conquer strategy.
‘‘This is about workplace fairness and equality,’’ said Rick Snyder, 54, the governor of Michigan, who had said repeatedly that the issue was not on his agenda. ‘‘This is about the relationship between workers and their union. Workers should have a right to choose who they associate with.’’
The past year has been a time of historic tumult for organized labor....
Michigan, a seat of labor clout, would become the 24th right-to-work state if the Legislature approves the measure, following Indiana in February.
Related: Hoosiers Learn the Hard Way
The Last Gasp of Labor
Did what you find in there take your breath away?
Yet even in decline, union money and volunteers were crucial to the reelection of President Obama this year.
Related: Hoosiers Learn the Hard Way
The Last Gasp of Labor
Did what you find in there take your breath away?
Yet even in decline, union money and volunteers were crucial to the reelection of President Obama this year.
The Michigan House passed one of three bills as the Senate was poised to act on two others. The House vote was delayed when most Democratic members walked out in protest over the closing of the Capitol by the Michigan State Police because of the crush of demonstrators that packed the areas outside the two chambers. They returned about 15 minutes later when the doors were ordered opened....
The three US automakers based in Michigan are neutral on the issue, according to e-mailed statements from Katie McBride of General Motors, Kevin Frazier of Chrysler Group, and Todd Nissen of Ford.
That's what they say, anyway.
That's what they say, anyway.
Voters are evenly split over whether Michigan should enact such a law, 47 percent in favor, 46 percent opposed, according to a poll by EPIC-MRA of Lansing. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Lawmakers and Snyder ‘‘are walking on dangerous ground,’’ said Bernie Porn, president of the polling firm.
Snyder said only 17.5 percent of Michigan workers are union members, so the measure would affect relatively few....
A right-to-work bill is also being discussed in Wisconsin, where Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, this year survived a recall after curbing collective bargaining for most public-employee unions. Snyder said it was time to take a stand. Indiana has siphoned off business and jobs, he said.
It's a race to the bottom.
It's a race to the bottom.
Snyder said he supports collective bargaining and that the proposed laws are not anti-union....
Just because he says it....
Just because he says it....
--more--"
"Organized labor plans right-to-work offensive; Mich. legislators expected to pass union measure" by John Flesher | Associated Press, December 10, 2012
LANSING, Mich. — With defeat in the Michigan Legislature virtually certain, Democrats and organized labor intend to make enactment of right-to-work laws as uncomfortable as possible for Governor Rick Snyder and his Republican allies while laying the groundwork to seek payback at the polls.
Opponents of the laws spent the weekend mapping strategy for protests and acts of civil disobedience, while acknowledging the cold reality that Republican majorities in the House and Senate cannot be stopped — or even delayed for long by parliamentary maneuvers.
They vowed to resist to the end, and then set their sights on winning control of the Legislature and defeating Snyder when he seeks reelection in 2014.
‘‘They’ve awakened a sleeping giant,’’ United Auto Workers President Bob King said at a Detroit-area union hall, where about 200 activists were attending a planning session. ‘‘Not just union members. A lot of regular citizens, nonunion households, realize this is a negative thing.’’
Right-to-work laws prohibit requiring employees to join a union or pay fees similar to union dues as a condition of employment. Supporters say it is about freedom of association for workers and a better business climate. Critics contend the real intent is to bleed unions of money and bargaining power.
I tend to agree with the critics there given AmeriKa's abysmal labor history.
I tend to agree with the critics there given AmeriKa's abysmal labor history.
Hundreds of chanting, whistle-blowing demonstrators thronged the state Capitol last week as bills were introduced and approved hours later, without the usual committee hearings allowing for public comment.
Oh, they rammed 'em through, 'eh?
Oh, they rammed 'em through, 'eh?
Even more protesters are expected Tuesday, when the two chambers may reconcile wording differences and send final versions to Snyder, who now pledges to sign them after saying repeatedly since his 2010 election the issue was not ‘‘on my agenda.’’
In Kalamazoo on Sunday, union protesters sang Christmas-themed songs attacking Snyder and Republican lawmakers and left a bag of coal outside the office of state Senator Tonya Schuitmaker, a backer of the bill.
Actually, the coal is a damn fine gift these days. Can burn it for heat and energy.
Actually, the coal is a damn fine gift these days. Can burn it for heat and energy.
Republicans are betting any political damage will be short-lived.
Especially when we have so many rigged elections.
During a news conference with GOP leaders last week announcing their intent to press ahead with right-to-work measures, Snyder urged labor to accept the inevitable and focus on showing workers why union representation is in their best interest.
Especially when we have so many rigged elections.
During a news conference with GOP leaders last week announcing their intent to press ahead with right-to-work measures, Snyder urged labor to accept the inevitable and focus on showing workers why union representation is in their best interest.
‘‘Let’s move forward, let’s get a conclusion, let’s get an answer and get something done so we can move on to other important issues in our state,’’ he said.
Like putting Detroit into receivership.
Like putting Detroit into receivership.
On that point, at least, the governor won’t get his way. Unions and their Democratic allies say this means war.
Allowing employees to opt out of financially supporting unions while enjoying the same wages and benefits as members undermines the foundation of organized labor, they contend. A UAW bulletin described it as ‘‘the worst anti-worker legislation Michigan has ever seen.’’
Yeah, that somehow seems INHERENTLY UNFAIR to me!
Yeah, that somehow seems INHERENTLY UNFAIR to me!
‘‘You will forever remember the day when you thought you could conquer labor,’’ Senator Coleman Young II, a Detroit Democrat and son of the city’s fiery late mayor, boomed during floor debate Thursday. ‘‘Be prepared to engage in the fight of your life.’’
But for all the defiant rhetoric, the opposition faces tough odds.
Better check to see if labor is still breathing.
Better check to see if labor is still breathing.
State law forbids repealing spending bills through referendums, and Republicans made the right-to-work measures immune by attaching a $1 million appropriation. So the only apparent way to nullify the policy, once enacted, will be to seize State House control through the ballot box.
You really have to commend Republicans on their thorough political astuteness. Even when Democrats win they lose.
You really have to commend Republicans on their thorough political astuteness. Even when Democrats win they lose.
Even after losing five House seats in November, Republicans will retain majorities in both chambers for the next two years — during which time they expect voter attention to turn to other topics. They redrew district lines in their favor after the 2010 Census, boosting their long-term prospects.
Also, as Snyder noted, less than 20 percent of Michigan workers are union members. Organized labor rolls and influence have declined in recent years, emboldening Republicans to challenge unions even in their historic Rust Belt stronghold.
Snyder and GOP lawmakers already had chipped away at Michigan union rights, even forbidding school districts from deducting dues from teachers’ paychecks.
I'm $ure that will win over the teachers. That's why they get into that line of work.
I'm $ure that will win over the teachers. That's why they get into that line of work.
--more--"
"Despite labor’s fury, Michigan OK’s union changes; Measure outlaws mandatory dues as job condition" by Monica Davey | New York Times, December 12, 2012
"Despite labor’s fury, Michigan OK’s union changes; Measure outlaws mandatory dues as job condition" by Monica Davey | New York Times, December 12, 2012
LANSING, Mich. — With Democrats and labor leaders vowing retribution at the ballot box and beyond, the Republican-dominated Michigan Legislature on Tuesday approved sweeping, statewide changes to the way that unions will be financed, substantially reducing their power in a state that has long been a symbol of union might and served as an incubator for the US labor movement.
As thousands of incensed union members filled the Capitol rotunda and poured out onto its lawn chanting ‘‘shame, shame,’’ labor leaders and Democrats said they would immediately mount an intense, unceasing campaign to regain control of the state House and governor’s office by 2014.
Odds aren't looking good.
But advocates of the legislation, which outlaws requirements that workers pay fees to unions as a condition of employment, lauded the day as a historic turning point for economic health in Michigan, and some Republicans predicted that their victory here would embolden other states to enact similar measures.
Odds aren't looking good.
But advocates of the legislation, which outlaws requirements that workers pay fees to unions as a condition of employment, lauded the day as a historic turning point for economic health in Michigan, and some Republicans predicted that their victory here would embolden other states to enact similar measures.
The legislation, which Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, signed almost immediately, is the latest in series of setbacks to organized labor in states, such as Indiana and Wisconsin, where it has traditionally been strong. National labor leaders predicted a backlash and said they were weighing options in the courts or future election campaigns.
“We are not going to end it today,’’ said Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.”We will be in the streets,’’ he said, adding later, ‘‘If we have to work it through 2014 and change the makeup of the legislatures, that’s what we’ll do.’’
By evening, two large canopies — that had belonged to supporters on opposite sides of the debate — lay crumpled on the Capitol lawn, the police said, and at least two people were arrested, said to have tried to press past one of the large clusters of state troopers that stood guard at the door to the George W. Romney building, which houses the governor’s office. And at least one police officer had used a substance similar to pepper spray during the protests.
“Today is a game changer for Michigan, for its workers, and for our future,’’ said Jase Bolger, the Republican House speaker, who had helped lead efforts to make Michigan the nation’s 24th state — and only the second one, along with Indiana, in the traditional Midwestern manufacturing belt — to ban requirements that workers pay fees for union representation.
So much for right-to-work being a Southern embarrassment.
So much for right-to-work being a Southern embarrassment.
The legislation here, which will go into effect next year, bans any requirement that most public- and private-sector employees at unionized workplaces be made to pay dues or other fees to unions. In the past, those who opted not to be union members were often required to pay fees to unions that bargained contracts for all employees at their workplace.
But the change means vastly different things depending on whom you talk to. Advocates say it is attractive to businesses looking to relocate companies and allows workers to make their own choices about unions.
Critics say it encourages workers not to pay union dues (but to still gain contract benefits through them), weakens unions, and tends to drive down wages.
United we stand, divided we fall. Cui bono?
United we stand, divided we fall. Cui bono?
Many opponents expressed fury over the process here as well — one that Democrats denounced as absurdly rushed, sneaky and ‘‘under cover of darkness.’’
Only Thursday, during the final days of the outgoing Legislature’s meetings, Snyder, who had long said he did not consider the legislation to be on his agenda, first announced publicly that he intended support such a measure. Later that day, language was being introduced in the chambers in the form of substituted bills that required little additional public airing, and within six days, the bills were finished and signed. Attached to the bills were financial appropriations, which make more arduous any effort at citizen repeal.
Snyder signed the bills without fanfare Tuesday afternoon, alerting reporters of it after the fact.
“There were a number of people out protesting, so I don’t see the need to have a public signing ceremony to over-emphasize that,’’ Snyder said, insisting the moves were not ‘‘anti-union.’’ “Because this isn’t about us versus them. This is about us being Michiganders and trying to work together.’’
Snyder the scumbag.
Snyder the scumbag.
In Michigan, President Obama affirms tax stand
Obama saved his most pointed criticism for closely watched measures in Michigan’s Legislature that would prevent requiring nonunion employees to financially support unions at their workplace. Drawing cheers, the president said the right-to-work legislation was more about politics than economics. ‘‘What they’re really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money,’’ Obama said."
So much for that intense, ceaseless campaign I guess, for that is the last I've seen of it in my monied mouthpiece.
Obama saved his most pointed criticism for closely watched measures in Michigan’s Legislature that would prevent requiring nonunion employees to financially support unions at their workplace. Drawing cheers, the president said the right-to-work legislation was more about politics than economics. ‘‘What they’re really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money,’’ Obama said."
So much for that intense, ceaseless campaign I guess, for that is the last I've seen of it in my monied mouthpiece.
Also see:
No more trials for serial stabbing suspect in Mich.
Why the special treatment?
Related: Serial Stabber is an Israeli
Oh.
No more trials for serial stabbing suspect in Mich.
Why the special treatment?
Related: Serial Stabber is an Israeli
Oh.
"Score of shootings spooks Michigan area" Associated Press, October 23, 2012
WIXOM, Mich. — Five schools kept children off playgrounds and nervous commuters changed their routes Monday as authorities searched for a suspect in more than 20 random, unsolved shootings in southeastern Michigan. No one has been hurt, and no shootings have occurred since Thursday. But....
--more--"
"Driver traveling on Interstate 96 shot
FOWLERVILLE, Mich. — A motorist driving along Interstate 96 was shot and wounded Saturday in the latest in a string of shootings in southeastern Michigan, authorities said. The man was taken to the hospital Saturday afternoon after being shot in the hip by a bullet that came through the driver’s-side door (AP)."
"Mich. police seek suspect in 24 roadway shootings" by Corey Williams | Associated Press, November 01, 2012
DETROIT — Officers have begun pulling over and questioning drivers in four Michigan counties in the hopes of catching a man suspected of shooting at other motorists over the past two weeks, including one driver who was wounded over the weekend....
More than 100 local police, sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, and federal agents are involved in the investigation....
--more--"
Related: Man, 43, charged in Mich. shootings
Let us pray:
"Accused requested prayers for victim" Associated Press, November 03, 2012
BROOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Michigan pastor accused of beating and strangling his fiancee’s daughter to fulfill a sexual fantasy had asked church members to pray for the young woman before police found her body, a friend said Friday.
Ex-convict John D. White knew the victim, Rebekah Gay, 24, and regularly watched her 3-year-old son while she worked, friend Donna Houghton said.
White even told investigators that after killing Gay and dumping her body, he returned to her mobile home to dress the boy in a Halloween costume before taking the youngster to his father, authorities said.
White was in jail without bond Friday, a day after he was charged with first-degree murder in Gay’s death in a rural area in Isabella County, 85 miles northwest of Lansing.
White said he drank four or five beers before going to Gay’s mobile home and repeatedly striking her head with a mallet and strangling her with a zip tie, according to a court filing.
He said he stripped her but does not remember if he carried out his fantasy of having sex with Gay’s dead body.
--more--"
"Accused requested prayers for victim" Associated Press, November 03, 2012
BROOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Michigan pastor accused of beating and strangling his fiancee’s daughter to fulfill a sexual fantasy had asked church members to pray for the young woman before police found her body, a friend said Friday.
Ex-convict John D. White knew the victim, Rebekah Gay, 24, and regularly watched her 3-year-old son while she worked, friend Donna Houghton said.
White even told investigators that after killing Gay and dumping her body, he returned to her mobile home to dress the boy in a Halloween costume before taking the youngster to his father, authorities said.
White was in jail without bond Friday, a day after he was charged with first-degree murder in Gay’s death in a rural area in Isabella County, 85 miles northwest of Lansing.
White said he drank four or five beers before going to Gay’s mobile home and repeatedly striking her head with a mallet and strangling her with a zip tie, according to a court filing.
He said he stripped her but does not remember if he carried out his fantasy of having sex with Gay’s dead body.
--more--"
