Say yes to America by saying yes to right to work, and no to union socialism rule over its members

so no to right to work legislation. I am a union member and i want to keep my rights just the way they are.

What did the voters reject (Proposal 2) in the November election?

Next August 2014, we will be voting on the SMART property tax. Vote YES, if you want the Union bus drivers being paid by your car registration and property taxes. Vote NO, if you want this tax capped. It is against the Civil RIghts of 1964 to cut any funding from SMART. The point I'm making is sure Right the Work does work and is fair but working for low wages and paying Union taxes is very unfair. Gov. Snyder is not fixing any problems at all and is only raising taxes to pay his Union workers but then wants everyone else to make less money, so he can then again collect more taxes by lowering the unemployment rate. That is not fair, in my opinion.

I've been a member of the UAW since 1967, now retired. In the end, corporations will get what they pay for. I was glad as heck to have a decent job with a decent wage. Many, many times I worked thru my lunch break without getting paid extra, because I was glad as heck to have a decent job with a decent wage. I walked barefoot thru the snow, figuratively speaking, to accomodate the man-in-the-corner-office. I went to night school for more than eight years to enhance my skills as an engineering technician for one of the big three. Corporations will reap what they plant. If they squeeze the employee too much, they lose in the end.

Right to work sounds good but it will destroy a lot of companies. The Union helps the companies in a lot of ways. I was a union representative called an attendance coordinator until I retired. We taught the workers that they could not get full benefits if they didn't come to work regularly, if they missed 20% of the time they lost 20% of all benefits. Example : When everyone got a holiday off work they would only get 80% of their holiday pay for that holiday. They would only get 80% of their vacation pay. The union would give concessions in bad years for the company and ask for a share of the profits from their labor in good years. Unions created the middle class.

Right to work is a union buster. Unions were formed in response to management abuses so that workers would have an official voice in working benefits and conditions. If right to work laws are enacted, workers will suffer.

Constance that may have been true long ago but today it's the union that suffocates good workers. A bad employee with higher seniority will get an advantage over a much better prepared employee with lower seniority..Not right.

This legislation offers a choice....what is wrong with that?
It's time for right-to-work.

Its not right the way this was handled, with a Lame Duck session and no public hearings! Where is the Democracy?

My Husband is a Union worker and ALL Unions do not work the same. For all of you who are against Unions and support the right to work, you will be sorry in a few years when the impact of what you are supporting finally shows its real face. You think all union workers are over paid and protected. My Husband does physical manual labor, climbs hundreds of feet while carrying almost an extra 100 lbs on his back. He doesn't get paid for days missed or Holidays, there are no PAID vacations. ALL UNIONS ARE NOT THE SAME!....For all of you who support this Law...I HOPE YOU ARE RICH...because if this law passes...say GOODBYE TO MIDDLE CLASS!

Let me see if I have this straight;

Unions have for years gone beyond the scope of assisting their members and entered politics and spent millions if not billions of dollars funding political campaigns of mostly Democrats. Including the political step of trying to get collective bargaining rights added to the state's constitution.

Now Republicans are introducing legislation on right to work, in theory giving the union members the choice of whether to be in the union or not.

First of all, duh! What did you think would eventually happen? If you play in the snake pit of politics, you're eventually going to get bit.
Second, why haven't union members been more upset and vocal about how their dues is spent in relation to political campaigns?

No matter what side you are on; those supporting this RTW legislation have to concede that something is shady in Lansing. The way in which this legislation has been pushed, with no hearing in committee, and the push by special interests, such as Devos and the Koch Brothers should indicate to the shallowest person that this legislation is wrong! I for one, am happy to see that the Dems are threatening to withhold support for Detroit Red Wings arena, and that they have the support to derail the legislation sought by the Ilitch family as part of this project.

Boiling--wow---what did you think about the Obama push for his health care law and the democrats that all voted for it without even reading the bill? Does Pelosi's comment "we have to pass this bill so we can see what it is about" ring a bell? Is ok with you only when democrats do something like this...or is it just with republicans? And gosh, how insightful of you to support democrats to wihhold the Illitch bill or Detroit street lighting bill...both things that are of GREAT benefit fr Detroit...which is ALL democrats! Does the phrase "cutting off your nose to spite your face" ring a bell? Does the fact that the republicans have the majority in BOTH the state house and senate ring a bell? What support do the democtrats have I ask---it sure ain't tthe votes. And, you cite "special interests"...what do you think organized labor has been if not a special intersest all these years? I for one am always ecstatic when I gain a choice in things...especially when it comes to keeping the governments's and organized labor out of my pocket mandating I pay dues for something I don't want to belong to.

For most .. RTW is about money. For me, its about personal freedoms.

America is the land of personal choices, the choice to be whatever you want. No one should be forced to join a union, just like no one should be stopped from joining a union.

yes right to work! maybe I wil be ble to afford a car, Unins have gotten wayout of hand!

You go!...Joe K!

Non union workers inthe same company may get SOME of the benefits as those in the union, but certainly not all. They do not have personal union stewards or committee men that will handle grievances, and the union does not have to suppport non union members jobs in any way at all. All will get the same pay, but not all get the repsresnataion or have to pay for the union dues that support left wing progressive polices and political contributions.

Not the same as R.EALLY

Say no to right to work for less. This is an outright attack on the middle class and working families. I will no longer feel safe using items not manufactured by the "skilled trades". Anyone earning a decent wage in Michigan is because of the strong unions and "prevailing wage". The people who do not favor unions can take the $8.00/hour jobs.

Love Reagan Republican response. When liberals get their way,everything is right, but when they don't, all heck breaks loose and now its all political. When the Affordable Care Act was passed by Dems only, all was right with the world. Now when Republicans in MI have the majority it can't be right because it does not fit the liberal agenda. Sorry, now you have to put up with conservative values now.

L S...and in addition to your remarks, even IF skilled trades did the actual manufacturing of the product, they still have the right to form and/or join an existng union..IF that's what the majority of their fellow workers also want.

Also, skilled workers do manufacture things,such as homes and other buildinggs. Those workers don't necesariily have to be journeymen at all, unless they belong to a union...at least here in Michigan if it is a union shop. And there are lopop holes there as well. As an example, all electricians do not have to be a journeyman to work on a job as long as they are "supervised" by a master electrician. However, pesently if they work for a union shop, they ALL have to join a unio n.

I am a retired UAW factory worker with a college degree. We are not a bunch of lazy idiots. This bill will pit union members against non union members working side by side. If their wages and benefits go down, if they are unreasonably fired which happens in non union establishments, time will show you that this benefits no one. The union helped negotiate with GM when it went bankrupt. Huge concession were made that resulted in a very big comeback for GM. Let's see how well the two work together in a right to work state.

I did not vote for property tax increases in my community to support (for example)
the Detroit Institute of Arts. Using the "Right to Work" logic it's OK for me not NOT PAY THOSE DEMOCRATICALLY ACCEPTED TAXES because I don't agree they provide me with value for my money. My only "choice" to not pay those taxes is to move from that community, period. Worker's right to choose is to move to another company (non-union if they like) or to work to de-certify the union where they do work.

Personally, I'm voting to "de-certify" Rick Snyder and any legislator who puts their pen to supporting this measure. Perhaps the next Governor of Michigan will "get it".

Yes, just like the last Governor, "got it"

The point of this bill is to reduce or remove one of the biggest sources of political funding from the Democrats. It would also splinter the Democratic party's organizational ability.

To quote Obama, "Elections have consequences".
To loosely quote Pelosi, "We need to pass it to see what's in it".
If the Union's product is all that and a bag of chips, then they don't have anything to worry about, right? The reason they are so up in arms is that they KNOW what they offer is not going to be accepted by the majority of union members. Further, what's with the "I'll take my ball and go home" attitude by the Unions and Dems? Something doesn't go your way and all you want to do is whine about it and call foul. And for those who say Right to Work will do away with the middle class, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2011, only 11.8% of wage and salary workers were union members, compared with 20.1% in 1983. That means the VAST MAJORITY of wage and salary workers or NOT unionized. Plus, if unions were so great, why have their membership rolls been declining at such an astonishing pace?

Unions are not only for fair pay, They have a lot to do with Safety Rules that save lifes & Limbs, & prevent Hardships on Familes of Injured Workers, I am a proud Member of Local 17 "IBEW". And Lineman for "DTE" Energy. Servicing Oakland Twp.

Would the legislation cover all union workers or are Federal union employees exempt, like with ObamaCare? Hate when a law exempts any person or situation.

Right to Work for less pay and benefits. That's what this will eventually become. Sure people should have a choice-you can work for a union employer or choose not to. I don't think it's right for you to work for a union employer, reaping the benefits that were hard fought and won, but choose not to pay in to it. The entitlement mentality needs to stop!!

For less pay and benefits? Pray tell me...how can that happen Riss, unless you and your union members vote to make concessions. Right to work will not in any afffect you pay and benefits.

Also, I worked as a FoMoCo salaried employee for over 3 decades. The only pay raises I received were calld MERIT raises...for a job well done...not one automatically received whether or not I was a goldbrick or a dedicated worker. I supervised UAW union workers for years and saw how they took advantage of the company in every way conceivable. I had numerous jobs scheduled for weekends and witnessed getting nothing more than 3 1/2 hous of actual labor from electricians, millwrights, carpenters, cleaners, painters, etc. Union work rules were rediiculous. If I wanted a wall painted I had to use upto 3-4 trades to get it done....Carpenter to remove pictures from the wall, millwrights to move a file cabinet away from the wall to be painted, electrician to remove the cover plates from electrical outlets, and finally a painter to paint the damn wall....then the other 3 trades once again to replace all the stuff they did. Yeah, union work rules are the real answer....NOT!

What has happened in other states where Right to Work has passed? Per capita individual income has usually doubled/ tripled in the last ten years compared to non RTW states. That means the increase from the starting pay per hour, say $10, would be near $29 in some RTW states, and only $13 in MI. Wait! Right to Work states have lower wages don't they? They do because they started out that way. Once RTW comes along, the comparable increase from a starting wage is vastly more that increases in a union state. Look at where all the folk are moving to. Right to Work states. Now they will be coming to Michigan, along with many new companies, and lots of good paying jobs. Why? We have some of the best industrial workers in the world. Indiana just got RTW. They have Amish farmers. We can and will do better! If a company moves here and doesn't play ball with the workers, well.....where do I sign up to start a union?

It hasn't even been a week and already new jobs are pouring into Shelby Township. Great jobs, too, if you don't need money to survive and you can stand on your feet for prolonged periods of time.

In case you haven't noticed, Shelby's Patch.com is advertizing a very big employment opportunity for all of us metro-Detroiters. How did this opportunity come about? Maybe it's the Right-To-Work legislation, or maybe it's just our lucky day! Either way, 100 lucky people will be selected to work for a manufacturer in Shelby Township. The job requires standing on your feet, working a machine press for prolonged periods of time, but the pay is great- for 1950s China.

$8.25 an hour, or $330 a week... That's the newsworthy job opportunities you can read about on Patch.

No wonder 1 out of 4 Michigan children live in poverty...

But, hey, Screw Unions, right? yeah, and whatever else Fox news says, too.

First of all for all of those brainless union members robots and their supporters that say this is about democracy; democracy is the right to choose to be in a union, not to be forced into joining a union. Unions will still exist. The union leaders have its subordinates brainwashed with scare tactics so they dont lose dues and their luxery jobs. Second of all; the majority have spoken at the polls last month. So what do you not understand? Third of all; it is the unions who have created legacy costs which are killing most federal, state and local budgets. Finally, i have seen unions in action. If you do your job, follow company policy (most are built on common sense) a company will keep and reward exemplorary employees. If you want better pay, go back to school, like i did.

Can't say that here in Northville we really need Patch to cover 'events' in Moscow, Syria, Ft. Lauderdale or even Lansing.

Like every other little community where Patch is attempting to establish its AOL ad marketing presence we have plenty of local issues more appropriat for your attentions - unless you have foreknowledge of some special 'Northville' tie-in and a unique perspective that we can't get from any of the multiple 'big-boy' news services already there covering it. What about those potholes on 8 ;Mile Road? .

I can back Matt up about the Cobo Hall union. I waited 2 hours to get an auto exibit unloaded. Not because they were busy, not because we arrived at an off hour. We kept looking at our open semi, and started to get in to unload it ourselves but were told we couldn't get up on the truck by the union member who was looking for the hilo driver. We were told in passing by another member that the guy probably was playing cards. Two hours wasted times 8 people was a waste.

What Debate? This was Republicans and Snyder saying "To hell with all of you". There was no debate here.

I've also made a visit to a client down by Kalamazoo. I noticed at one line about 14-15 people sitting around , reading, talking on cell phones while other lineworkers were working. Turns out, they shut their line down, because AAM was on strike. Now my question is why can't an employer put these workers on a cleanup/spruceup detail, instead of paying these workers to sit all day at their station? We know why?

Another story. Back in 1978. I had an Uncle that was going to but a car from me. I met him in the Copper Kettle by the old Chesterfield plant on a Friday. He was a leader. I met my uncle at the start of his lunch. He ordered us some beers and lunch. Time rolled on, about an 1 1/2 hours, and I noticed a lot of the same people including my uncle was in the bar. I asked him are they going back to work. He said that a few of those people were his crew and they had all paid someone to punch them in and out.

Another one, I had an appointment to sell my Uncle a car. He told me to meet him at a small bar near the old Chesterfield plant. I arrived at his stated lunch time on a Friday. He bought a beer and lunch for us. As time rolled on, maybe and hour and half, I noticed very few people left the bar. I asked my uncle why and he said that a few of the people were his crew and they had paid someone to punch them in and out.

The best thing I did was go back and finish college. I was tired of being a machinist/builder. Didn't matter who, union or non-union. So in my mid 30's, kids and all, I went back to school, got my degree by 37. I immediately got offers for bigger and better. For awhile I remained loyal to a good company (non-union), but the economy took them out. I took an offer from a another non-union plant and never looked back. I made twice as much in that jump and the last 8 years I've topped over, (yes I did jump ship again) 100,000 a year. Opportunity is there union or non-union. You choose to make your own life what it is. If you think you deserve a kings ransom as a machine operator, think again. Don't expect much from that job and really not in a union shop. If you are a hard worker, unions give very little chance for an employer to come out an nurture you. A union will get you a percentage raise, but take the right an employer has to give you a raise based on you're breaking your ass more than the old slacker away from that employer. When you get a raise-the slacker gets a raise too. Just like in Russia.

coleen frey, where did you get your info from. I did not have to belong to the union, but I had to pay dues as I was receiving the same wages and bennies as union workers.

Macomb, I worked at Ford, Wayne Assembly, and the UAW was all powerful . The waste that occurred was incredible! One old gent just rode around in a cart all day selling cigars to the workers. When I went to the day shift on the West receiving dock, my job was rolling fender carts out of trailers, 3 carts per trailer, a job that took what, ten minutes max per trailer? That pace did not last long. All the old timers came into my trailer and told me the rules....two trucks per hour max. No exceptions. I read a lot of books that summer, the union lads did more than read.....what inefficiency, but it taught me a lesson. Work your way up the system, and be a union boss, they have it made. Of course, there are probably great union bosses out there, but they stayed under the radar for me.
The alternative was to be the boss, and pay workers what they are worth. Post the pay schedule on the wall, don't like your pay?, learn another skill that pays more. Works great.
If you are worth more to the company, then they pay you more.. Simple math and fair. Don't think it's fair? Michigan workers still have the right to form unions and organize. The trouble for the unions is that , due to Federal laws, companies find it is good business to be fair, and that gives the unions little to do. Times change, and there are no more buggy whips. However, evil bosses still lurk out there according to unions, they will still be around. And workers will pay dues. If they join.

Ok, here is the bottom line: If you are lazy, then you want and need a union. If you are hard-working, motivated, and will work 8 hours for 8 hours pay, then you may not want and you don't need a union. I've belonged to two different unions in my life (not by choice) and I found out that they did absolutely NOTHING, other than collect fees. With both unions, it was obvious that there was a close, cozy relationsip between union & management. So, like everything else, it is all about the money. Governor Snyder, THANK YOU for calling them out, and giving everyone a choice, and making the unions prove their worth, which will be an uphill challenge for them. The unions are outdated and inept, not capable of doing what they say they can do. Time to modernize, get rid of the greedy, dead weight of a union and move this state ahead. Better watch out, Governor Snyder will make everyone work for a living! What a terrible thought - working instead of opening the mailbox, looking for a handout. The unions = corruption, greed, laziness.

My father was forced to join a union years ago. He accepted it even though he votes against it. Not long after, the ubions convinced the union workers to strike, to get their birthdays off. My dad was livid! He couldn't believe that grown, mostly men, would think like little children.

BTW: GM allowed a union boss on their Board of Directors. How did that work out?

Anyone who wants right to work is one stupid idiot, keeping higher wages and benefits keep the lower wage jobs higher. Just watch and see what happens all you people who wanted this will be sorry down the road

Robin Wright, in the polls the majority voted against right to work. Are they all fools? Unions are the most unproductive organizations in the world except for a communist country to which they want. Equal pay for the hard worker and slacker

Shame on the people in government who voted for the Right to Work Bill. This is nothing less than a union buster. Who will benefit? Not the employee, but the CEOs and their companies. Do you really think this will attract knowledgeable laborers? No, the jobs will go to the person who will work for less pay, lousy benefits abd t.errible working conditions This increases profit margins for the companies Look at the laborers overseas...No union - long hours - poverty pay and terrible working conditions.
The US work force has gotten to where they are because of the unions. Do you really think that employers will pay well, and have good working conditions unless forced to by labor.
The revolution is coming. The common man will not stand for all the nonsense that is being forced down their throats by governemnt.

Ben, and do the Chinese workers have the same rights as American workers? They have the right or freedom of will to quit a job, and the employers have the right or will to let them go.
If they don't like the pay, workers can find a better paying job. Sounds like the same system here in the States. Do the Chinese have unions? If not, why not? If anyone needs help in getting higher wages, it should be the Chinese. Where is the UAW when you need them?

Think about all the drug users,alchoholics and those who don't even show up for work regularly. Perhaps the union needs the rewrite the by laws and improve the work force instead of protecting slackers.

Ben, I was thinking communist Russia. Nancy-I think your numbers are a bit off. More than 6% wanted Right to Work. Only 18.5% of the Michigan population works for a union. There are approximitely, what 3 million population in the state? Your numbers don't shake out. I work for a non-unionized company that also owns several subsideries diversed in different fields. Thinngs work fine in that company without a union. People tend to think things are greener on the other side and leave. A lot do come back. Some from engineering jobs in the Big 3. I've heard complaints that it's hard to get projects done in the plants because of the unions. We're putting up with BS from the union right while we are trying to install their machines. but they want our help on their union terms. Everything is slllllllllllllloooooooooooww

To those who support Right to Work-- what's the best possible outcome? Actual estimated figures please. How many new jobs? What will they pay? When?

Also, do you think causing this much of a riff with Union workers is worth creating, let's say, 25,000 jobs that pay $8.25 an hour? Is that worth it? Would $10.00 an hour for 25K people be worth it? I'd like to know the worth-it/not-worth-it threshold.

All we know for sire is prop 2 didnt make it through. We exercised our rights and said no. Now whats the problem. I have russian friends. Just like america they have the rich pockets of people. Not the the freedom we do. Remember, their doctors dont make the money ours do. Russia is a very poor country.

Matt, I agree. lets create 25,000 more jobs. Get people off the welfare rolls that we non union and union as well people pay for. I don't see very many unionized jobs running advertizing for jobs. I know of a guitar player that is a unionized electrician and he's been unemployed for the 3-4 years I've known him. The union is doing him real well, I even offered to send him to a non-union electrical job - but he's a union man all the way.

The new right to work scenario could be the best thing to happen to the union(s).They will now have the opportunity to re-invent themselves. If they do the right job with that then they'll get all their lost membership numbers back.

They will have to remember they are there to represent the membership - not control them. Let's not begin this new road by pretending we don't know what that means.