Michigan Repeals Law Meant To Protect Workers’ Paychecks

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation passed by the legislature that overturns a law that allowed workers to choose not to join unions or pay union dues as a condition of employment. More than half U.S. states have similar laws on the books.

As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported, the law has been in effect for 10 years and offers workers the freedom to choose whether they must support a union with financial payments, even if they object to the union’s activities. According to the USCC, the RTW has helped Michigan compete for economic development projects and new jobs. In fact, according to a report commissioned by the USCC, these types of laws have a positive impact on economic growth, employment, investment, and innovation, both directly and indirectly.

According to Politico, along with the right-to-work repeal, which applies to private-sector workers, Michigan lawmakers passed legislation that would apply to public-sector jobs in the event the U.S. Supreme Court revisits a 2018 decision that required non-union public employees to pay agency fees to unions was unconstitutional.

The legislature also approved a measure that reinstated prevailing wage requirements for publicly funded construction projects.