Michigan Governor Vows to OK Right-to-Work Legislation
Michigan Governor Vows to OK Right-to-Work Legislation
Gov. Rick Snyder said Thursday he is prepared to sign legislation that would make Michigan the nation’s 24th right-to-work state when the bills get to his desk.
During a news conference in the state’s Capitol, Snyder said the Legislature will proceed with right-to-work legislation for public and private employees — which would exclude police and firefighters — and that the bills could be introduced Thursday during the lame-duck session.
“The goal isn’t to divide Michigan. It is to bring Michigan together,” the governor said, as hundreds of union protesters stormed the Capitol and the governor’s office, voicing their opposition to the plan.
Snyder, who for more than a year had maintained that he didn’t want to deal with the contentious issue and called it “too divisive,” said one of the things he looked at when deciding about backing right-to-work legislation is Michigan, was the neighboring state of Indiana where voters recently chose to make that a “freedom to choose” state. The governor said since right-to-work rules were added in Indiana, economic activity has increased and business has grown.
The legislation is about “freedom to choose,” and “fairness and equity in the workplace,” Snyder said. The issue “was on the table whether I wanted it to be there or not.”
Now, he said, is “time to be a good leader and stand up and take a position.”