Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of bills on Friday that repeal a 2012 “right-to-work” law that made paying dues to unions optional at unionized workplaces.
The new package of measures mean workers employed at unionized workplaces can no longer opt out of paying union dues and fees. The 2012 “right-to-work” law, which had been passed by a Republican-led Legislature, had given both public and private unions the freedom to organize and bargain collectively but banned them from mandating nonunion workers pay fees as a condition of employment.
The passage of House Bills 4004 and 4007 and Senate Bill 34 is seen as a win for unions and has been touted as restoring provisions that allow workers to collectively bargain for better working conditions, higher wages, and safer workplaces without interference from the government….