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It's one thing to pick a fight with public employee unions in Wisconsin and quite another for MichiganRepublicans to take on all of organized labor, as happened with the "right-to-work" legislation that Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law Tuesday evening. Few states have a stronger union tradition, and the blow to the labor movement there could have ramifications far beyond Michigan's borders.
Whatever one may think of unions — and they've made their share of mistakes as surely as corporate executives have — the decision is certain to depress wages in Michigan. In states where unions can't require non-union members to pay dues (even as they represent them in contract negotiations or provide other benefits), workers tend to be paid less. They are also less likely to have a pension or employer-provided health care insurance.
It's not hard to understand why "right to work" is really "right to be paid less." It's the same reason nations don't make taxes optional to their citizenry and businesses don't typically let customers decide whether to pay for their goods or services. A dues-optional approach cripples the ability of a union to raise money and to look out for the interests of workers.
That is, of course, the point. Over the cries of thousands of angry protesters in Lansing, the GOP-controlled Michigan legislature meeting in lame-duck session rushed through the legislation, at least in part because legislators recognized that it cuts off a major source of Democratic campaign fundraising. The United Auto Workers alone gave more than $12 million to help re-elect President Barack Obama last month. Small wonder the bill was a high priority for Americans For Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group supported by David and Charles Koch.
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