2011 Senate Bill 116 / 2012 Public Act 348

Make Michigan a "right-to-work" state (as enacted; originally something else)

Introduced in the Senate

Feb. 9, 2011

Introduced by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R-30)

To authorize the creation of county, city, township, village, or school district “right to work zones,” where, within the boundaries of the community, employers would be prohibited from compelling an employee or prospective employee to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. <b>Note: The bill was later amended to establish a RTW law for the entire state</b>.

Referred to the Committee on Economic Development

Dec. 6, 2012

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To push back the effective date of the proposed law to 2014.

The amendment failed 16 to 22 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To require the RTW law to be approved by voters before going into effect.

The amendment failed 15 to 23 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Steve Bieda (D-9)

To tie-bar the bill to Senate Bill 519, meaning this bill cannot become law unless that one does also. SB 519 would repeal the provision of Gov. Rick Snyder's tax reform and business tax cut that partially eliminated some of the state income tax exemptions for pension income.

The amendment failed 18 to 20 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D-18)

To add to the bill a provision that would repeal the 2011 law that banned governments in this state from from providing medical benefits or other fringe benefits to an employee’s “domestic partner,” defined as someone who is not married to the employee and not a dependent or survivor.

The amendment failed 11 to 27 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-8)

To strip out a provision that adds a $1 million appropriation, which under a state Supreme Court ruling several years ago has the effect of making the bill "referendum-proof." See House Joint Resolution W for an explanation.

The amendment failed 17 to 21 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To add to the bill a provision that would repeal a 2011 law eliminating an "item pricing" mandate on retail.

The amendment failed 13 to 25 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Bert Johnson (D-2)

To add to the bill a provision that would repeal a 2011 law that prohibits a state agency from imposing "ergonomics" regulations on employers.

The amendment failed 12 to 26 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To require the Governor's office to monitor, track and report any changes to average state wages and employment attributable to the bill's passage, to the extent a causal relationship can be established.

The amendment failed 17 to 21 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To add to the bill a provision that would repeal the state income tax. This is one of several Democratic amendments that appear to be "protest" amendments rather than sincere proposals (in addition to some that were sincere).

The amendment failed 14 to 24 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D-18)

To tie-bar the bill to Senate Bill 340, meaning this bill cannot become law unless that one does also. SB 340 would prohibit and make it a civil rights law violation to employ a person at a wage or salary that is less than an amount established under an interpretation of “comparable worth” devised by a government commission composed of various special interests and advocacy groups proposed by Senate Bill 341.

The amendment failed 12 to 26 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To prohibit the bill from going into effect unless the state unemployment rate falls by amounts specied in the amendment.

The amendment failed 13 to 25 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To add to the bill a provision that would repeal the state business tax. This is one of several Democratic amendments that appear to be "protest" amendments rather than sincere proposals (in addition to some that were sincere).

The amendment failed 13 to 25 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Vincent Gregory (D-14)

To establish that the proposed RTW law would not apply to "any employee currently entered into a collective bargaining agreement" with a union.

The amendment failed 15 to 23 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Steve Bieda (D-9)

To prohibit the bill from going into effect until "after a panel appointed by the governor reviews the merits and economic impacts that will result from implementation".

The amendment failed 15 to 22 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. John Gleason (D-27)

To require collective bargaining agreements to be administered in accordance with the Supreme Court's "Beck" decision, which was intended to limit mandatory union payments by employees in a unionized workplace to just the amount spent by the union on bargaining activities (but which according to many was never properly implemented because of inadequate reporting by unions of their expenses).

The amendment failed 17 to 21 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-6)

To tie-bar the bill to Senate Bill 88, meaning this bill cannot become law unless that one does also. SB 88 would require that if an initiative or referendum ballot issue petition campaign uses paid petition circulators, the name of the organization providing the compensation for the circulators must be disclosed on the face of the petitions.

The amendment failed 15 to 23 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Coleman Young (D-1)

To prohibit the bill from going into effect if Michigan per capita income is higher than the PI of every other RTW state.

The amendment failed 12 to 26 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-23)

To name the proposed law after Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville.

The amendment failed 12 to 26 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Tupac Hunter (D-5)

To tie-bar the bill to Senate Bill 286, meaning this bill cannot become law unless that one does also. SB 286 would create a state database of contractors sanctioned for violations of the “prevailing wage” law, which prohibits awarding government contracts to contractors who submit the lowest bid unless the contractor pays union pay scales.

The amendment failed 12 to 26 (details)

Passed in the Senate 22 to 16 (details)

To prohibit employers from enforcing a union contract provision that compells employees to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. The bill also includes a $1 million appropriation to make it "referendum-proof." All Democrats voted "no" and all Republicans voted "yes" on this Michigan right-to-work law except for Sens. Casperson, Green, Nofs and Rocca.

Received in the House

Dec. 6, 2012

Referred to the Committee on Commerce

Dec. 11, 2012

Amendment offered by Rep. Kate Segal (D-62)

To strip out a provision that adds a $1 million appropriation, which under a state Supreme Court ruling several years ago has the effect of making the bill "referendum-proof." See House Joint Resolution W for an explanation.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-37)

To require the proposed RTW law to be approved by voters before going into effect.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes (D-95)

To require collective bargaining agreements to be administered in accordance with the Supreme Court's "Beck" decision, which was intended to limit mandatory union payments by employees in a unionized workplace to just the amount spent by the union on bargaining activities (but which according to many was never properly implemented because of inadequate reporting by unions of their expenses).

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Rudy Hobbs (D-35)

To revise the appropriation added to make the bill "referendum-proof" so that rather than add new money the $1 million would be taken out of money already appropriated to run the Governor's office.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Passed in the House 58 to 52 (details)

To prohibit employers from enforcing a union contract provision that compells employees to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. The bill also includes a $1 million appropriation to make it "referendum-proof." All Democrats voted "no" and all Republicans voted "yes" for this Michigan right-to-work law except for Reps. Forlini, Goike, Horn, McBroom, Somerville and Zorn.

Signed by Gov. Rick Snyder

Dec. 11, 2012