LANSING (AP) — Hundreds of union supporters filled the halls of the Michigan Capitol on Tuesday as Senate Democrats voted along party lines in support of repealing the decade-old “right-to-work” law in a state long considered a pillar of organized labor.
Democrats have listed the repeal as one of their top legislative goals this session. The law, enacted in 2012 when Republicans fully controlled Michigan government, prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay union dues even if the union bargains on their behalf.
Senators approved the repeal on a 20-17 vote, sending it back to the House, which passed its own version last week but must approve the final language. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she’ll sign it.
“It’s a new day here in Lansing.,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks said. “And today we are taking action to empower workers by restoring the rights that they always relied on.”
Union supporters, many of whom had waited nearly nine hours for the Senate to vote, cheered loudly from the gallery and outside the Senate chamber as Democrats voted to approve the repeal. A repeal in Michigan would deliver a much needed victory in the region for unions after Wisconsin and Indiana passed their own “right-to-work” laws over the past decade.
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