A Macomb County lawmaker will attempt to resurrect legislation this week making Michigan a right-to-work state, even though a similar bill failed in the state House less than two years ago.
State Rep. Kim Meltzer, R-Macomb Township, announced Monday she is the chief sponsor on a pair of bills introduced during the legislative recess last week — which should get a first reading in Lansing on Wednesday.
House Bills 6348 and 6349 would prohibit businesses from making union membership or dues a condition of employment. The law makes exemptions for the federal governments, some railway employees and union contracts that were in effect before the legislation gets enacted — although those pacts must be altered upon renewal to comply with the law.
Only 19.9% of Michigan workers are currently represented by a union, and make no mistake about it, the Republicans mean to bust them for good this time. This will not get past the House this year... but next year is another story. Destroying the rights of workers and eliminating unions altogether is the ultimate goal of those on the extreme right.
Meltzer cites the Tea Party as the driving force behind the effort.
“The Tea Party (political movement) is erupting in the state, and people are more concerned with wanting a government with more accountability,” she said. “Unions nationwide collect something like $4.5 billion annually in dues, and much of it goes into unreported campaign contributions to candidates that tend to favor increasing the size of government and spending.”
We won't mention the "unreported campaign contributions" from the wealthy who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of working people though. The question will then become: Who will they steal from next, after they have finished destroying the middle class in this country? It's not like cutting the wages of working folks will be enough to fill the insatiable greed...