Lansing — A Michigan House committee moved to the chamber floor Wednesday morning a package of bills repealing the state's decade-old right-to-work law and restoring prevailing wage requirements for government contracts.
The vote took place after an hour and a half of testimony as dozens of people packed into the main committee room and three overflow rooms in downtown Lansing. Observers cheered and booed in overflow rooms as individuals argued for and against the major changes in state labor policy.
The series of three bills passed along party lines, with some Republican members abstaining from the vote on the right-to-work policy, which makes dues paying optional in unionized workplaces. The legislation is expected to get a vote from the full chamber Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday's hearing pitted arguments on worker's choice, economic competitiveness and efficient use of tax dollars against complaints of non-paying "free loader" union members, a dearth of dues that would allow unions to effectively fight for their members and the desire to foster an environment friendly to Michigan workers.
The legislation slated for House passage Wednesday would restore prevailing wage and repeal right-to-work in both the public and private sectors. However, the public sector portion of the law is expected to be canceled out by the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME that found mandatory membership fees among public sector unions violated the First Amendment.
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