December 11, 2012 -- by Dave Johnson Pay attention to what is
happening in Michigan, because it will add downward even more
pressure to your wages and benefits, wherever you live and work.
Republicans in the Michigan legislature have rammed through
anti-union "right-to-work" laws making union dues voluntary even
as unions a required by law to provide services to members and
non-members. They say this will make Michigan more "business-
friendly" by driving down wages and benefits, thereby stealing
jobs from states where working people have rights. The actual
intent is to get rid of the unions altogether, and their ability
to fight for the 99% in the ongoing class war with the 1%. What
Are So-Called "Right-To-Work" Laws? "Right-to-work" means the
right to work in a unionized business thqt has a negotiated
contract without paying dues to the union. The 1947 Taft-Hartley
Act allows states to prohibit unions from collecting fees from
non-members or making union membership mandatory, and states
that do this are call