Michigan became the first state in decades to repeal its “right-to-work” law when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed legislation on Friday to rescind it.
The governor’s office said in a release that Whitmer signed a package of bills that will protect workers’ safety and help them push for better wages and working conditions.
“Today, we are coming together to restore workers’ rights, protect Michiganders on the job, and grow Michigan’s middle class,” Whitmer said in the statement. “Michigan workers are the most talented and hard-working in the world and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The repeal of the law is a major victory for labor unions in the state amid record low union membership nationwide.
“Right-to-work” laws allow employees at unionized workplaces to opt out of joining a union and or paying dues.
Proponents of these types of laws argue that they allow workers to decide for themselves whether to join a union. Critics contend that they harm employees’ pay, benefits and working conditions through weakening the union because the workers who don’t join are officially represented by the union, even if they are not members.
Repealing the law was among Michigan Democrats’ top priorities after the November midterm elections in which the party won control of both houses of the state legislature with a Democratic governor in office for the first time in four decades.
The law was first implemented in 2012 when Republicans had control of both houses and former...
Influencer star Ash Trevino has filed a lawsuit against a woman she says called her probation officer in the hopes that the influencer would get a violation of her supervised release ... before p...