Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on March 13, 2007

Click here to view bill details.

Finally, there is some proposed legislation that would actually help Michigan recover. Too bad this has about as much chance of becoming law as pigs growing wings.

This bill is a slap in the face to the unions and their members who have made Michigan great. It is opportunistic for union-busting forces to use this economic depressed time to push their agenda, an agenda that would only profit companies, not workers.

the jobs are ALREADY PAYING WELL. they are ALREADY SAFE. they are ALREADY HARD ENOUGH TO GET WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY UNION DUES. all the unions do nowadays is help elect democrats. can you name one positive thing that the unions do that ISN'T already federally mandated???

If you come to work and do a good job you will be fine. The problem with unions and other socialist organizations (The ruethers trained in russia to learn the ropes) is that they think everyone is equal. Sorry, the real world isn't like that. The union's bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator. Since in their warped little world everyone is equal Fred and Jim get the same raise even though Jim works twice as hard and takes no sick days. Since they get the same raise and the same pay, do you think that Fred is going to start working harder? In real life Jim gets mad and starts taking sick days and going fishing like he sees Fred doing. At one time they were needed, today the unions are like a giant anchor in almost all industries they organize. The teachers union protects bad teachers just like the uaw protects the Fred's.

For every "Fred" and for every "bad" teacher there are a hundred excellent workers who would have lost their jobs because of some suit's hubris, if not for the unions. Detroit can't design, promote, or engineer a competitive car, so they blame the unions. Parents of school children want everything supplied for free (education, psych. counseling, character building, Jesus, food, etc.) and when they can't get it because of tax paranoia, they blame the unions. A collective bargaining agreement keeps everybody honest - management and labor. However, management finds honesty "an anchor" to their profits. The unions built this state. And now our corporate pigs with their bitch the Republican Party, are destroying it in record time. Clean up the corporate world, hold them responsible for their crimes; hold parents accountable for raising their own spawn; stop outsourcing, and then take a look at the unions. Break the unions and Michigan becomes Mississippi. YeeHa!

DID build michigan. that was over a hundred years ago. since then, the unions have done nothing but become the strong arm thug of the democratic party. the purpose for the unions has passed. companies today would have no problem hiring AND KEEPING good workers today if it weren't for the unions negotiating to keep the 'freds' of this world on the job simply because they pay union dues. i know that you have been told since you were in diapers that everything good comes from the union, but it just isn't so. detroit can't design and engineer a good car because the government and the unions have FAR TOO MUCH SAY in what goes into a car and how it's built for them to be free to design and build. designers have to design around governmental regulations, and the production lines run on union rules. the customer is so far out of the loop, that none of the above parties even knows they exist. paying a worker more than he is worth simply because he is a union member is NOT the way to do business.

"For every "Fred" and for every "bad" teacher there are a hundred excellent workers" You couldn't be more wrong. In union jobs in the auto plants there are probably 25 slackers out of every 100. Any one who has been there knows. Same with teachers, I know some that shouldn't be allowed near a kid.

"The unions built this state. And now our corporate pigs with their bitch the Republican Party, are destroying it in record time." You have drank the kool aid or you are a government educated twit. "Break the unions and Michigan becomes Mississippi." If it wasn't for the hurricane their unemployment would be alot lower than this liberal bastion. "And now our corporate pigs with their bitch the Republican Party," Maybe you would like socialism better than capitalism. It's only killed about 100 million useful idiots so far. Me thinks you might be one of the slackers.

No one should be compelled to join a union or be denied the right to join one if they so choose. I was raised in a union organizer's household. I agree that unions fought originally for fair wages and hours, but they lost their path when they intimidated those who did not always agree with their agenda's. They (unions) have since run many a business into the ground with their socialist ideals, from cradle to grave free legal services to benefits that far out-weighed the expense. I have heard some union idiots who worked for the auto companies who thought it would be a right for the companies to buy them their vehicles and their homes. Talk about a "Nanny" mentality. Now, the State of Michigan whose auto companies helped win World War II, are turning the state into the "great rust belt", due to union greed and lack of forsight. The foreign powers that we fought against in World War II have now stomped our auto companies into the ground due to the over-reaching of uion leaders and their membership.

So tired of hearing how the union workers are the reason for the corruption in corporations. Thank you for standing up! Would our legislators be so "bold" if they were out on the street job hunting and wanting good paying job with all the perks like they have they we, teh taxpayers-wnad union workers-pay them for? Jacob- wake up! Are YOU the only one who deserves benefits and good pay!? By the People, For the People!!!

Thank you, Jack. This is not about the workers, this is about unions. The workers have made Michigan (and the US) great -- the unions continue to push us toward Canada/Socialism. That would be fine if the US were a socialist country -- but we're not, we're capitalist. Since businesses have a choice on where they can move, it doesn't take a high-level degree to figure out why they are moving to Right-to-Work states. Of course, those who are "set-for-life" with their current union position (w/pension) don't care about new businesses coming to Michigan (see negative comments on this board). Thanks again. I fully support this.

"The unions built this state" And $30 an hour janitors and unskilled laborers will kill it. "A collective bargaining agreement keeps everybody honest - management and labor." And also makes the union bosses rich. Don't trust your union goons anymore than you trust the snake oil salesman. They also believe that all workers are equal, anyone with an IQ higher than their shoe size knows that this is malarky. "And now our corporate pigs with their bitch the Republican Party, are destroying it in record time" Without thos "corporate pigs" you and all your union buddys would be picking beans for 2 dollars a day. The union improves nothing, creates nothing, sells nothing and is basically just a parasite that feeds on the productive. Sounds kinda like the government. "Break the unions and Michigan becomes Mississippi' Mississippi is what they are because of the lib/dem/socialist so called leaders. Maybe we would become like Florida, North Carolina or any one of a multitude of high flying Free States. Why are you so afraid of being without a union? Maybe your skill set isn't worth much in the free market? "Parents of school children want everything supplied for free (education, psych. counseling, character building, Jesus, food, etc.)" Wrong again bubba. All the parents I know want the government out of our lives so we can educate and raise our kids, not some idiotic village. Give me my tax money back and I won't ask for a thing. Seems you must be talking to all the lib/socialist parents or as they are also know "hippies that never grew up"

Michigan workers don't care if House Bill 4454 (Make Michigan a "right to work" state )passes or fails, because unions haven't had any real power in the state of Michigan for years now. This is just one more excuse for corporations to take benefits and compensations from employees, or fire and hire employess for higher profits and avoid any Civil Rights Act or Fair Labor law issues. This is just one more good reason to pack my things,foreclose on my house and move south next year.. because job security no longer exist in this state. Instead of doing something about Michigan's single state recession, high unemployement rate, rising gas prices, higher taxes,and our failing health care system - our government officials are busy developing new ways to put more hard working Michigan workers "out of work", deeper in debt, and on welfare.

right to work states. where are you going to go now?

 Right to work states, to me it is not a right to work. It is more  a right for the company that you work for to take advantage of its employees. In Va. they say that the Company does not have to have a reason to fire you. They can just let you go without any reason. I think that is crazy. You can ruin a persons life by doing this. It does not give people more of an opportunity to start their own business. More people do work like tree services and land scaping. I think it only helps the companies doing business in these states.Unemployment rates are lower because the real facts aren't being told. I live in Va. and I see a lot of people struggleing these days. Yes, Va is the tax capitol of the of the world. You would think that they were still paying the king of England. They tax your cars boats and tractors. They tax food, and everthing else. I think that they should be called the state of taxes, thats a good nickname!!!! People also complain about all of the Central Americans being here; but they still use them for cheap labor. Taking advantage of the people. Seems to me they want it both ways. Most companies are always crying poor, thats a crock. They give you a review whenever they fill like it, if at all. Great Right to Work States. Its only for the business, not the poeple breaking their backs.