LANSING — Democrats want to repeal Michigan’s Right-to-Work law that weakened union membership when the party takes control of state government in January, months after they were elected with significant funding from unions.
A Bridge Michigan analysis shows unions were among the top donors to Democrats, but especially Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and incoming legislative leaders Sen. Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids and Rep. Joe Tate of Detroit. Combined, unions gave $577,500 to the three as of Nov. 28, comprising 31 percent of the $1.9 million the trio collected in group donations, according to a Bridge Michigan analysis.
Five big unions alone — the United Auto Workers, Michigan Region of Carpenters, the AFL-CIO, AFSCME and SEIU — made a total of $3 million in political contributions across Michigan during the election, all but $51,000 of which went to Democrats, the analysis shows.
Ray Curry, national president of the UAW, said the decision by Michigan Republicans to adopt Right-to-Work laws in 2012 was a “travesty,” but he also told Bridge he doesn’t believe “Gov. Whitmer owes us anything.”
“I believe the members of the state who have advocated for this legislation to be...
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