Michigan right-to-work repeal heading to governor

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will decide the fate of Michigan’s right-to-work law.

Tuesday, the Michigan House of Representatives voted to repeal the right-to-work law.

The law, passed quickly by Republicans in 2012 during a lame-duck session, allowed workers to choose if they join a union.

Union leaders said this created a “freeloader” system where people who didn’t pay union dues benefited from union contracts.

Business leaders said having a right-to-work law helped economic growth by attracting new companies to the state.

The Michigan Senate passed the right-to-work repeal March 14.

Whitmer is expected to sign the bills into law by the end of the Month.

There are 27 states with right-to-work laws.

“We applaud the legislature for getting this done today, delivering a huge and historic victory for workers across the state. Our pro-worker Democratic majorities made a promise to undo the decades of devastation caused by worker suppression policies and put the needs of working people first. That’s exactly what they’ve done. These bills restore workers’ rights to negotiate freely for good wages, good benefits, and safer workplaces,” said Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber. “Michigan is on the cusp of a new era, an era where workers, not corporate special interests and the megarich, are setting the agenda.”

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