LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A coalition announced Thursday wants to make Michigan, a state with deep union roots, a right-to-work state.
Michigan Freedom to Work seeks a state law that would prohibit requiring an employee to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. The group includes some current and former union members who say belonging to a labor organization should be a matter of personal choice, not a requirement.
Right-to-work states are mostly in the southern and western United States. Right-to-work proposals in Michigan, birthplace of the United Auto Workers and a relative union stronghold, have fizzled for years. But they're gaining more attention because Republicans now control the state House and Senate, as well as the governor's office.
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Gov. Rick Snyder previously has said right-to-work measures aren't on his agenda or among his high priorities. But supporters of right-to-work measures are anxious to get their proposals to his desk to see if he might sign them.
Right-to-work supporters say states with those laws have had an edge in recent years attracting new jobs. Others say they don't want their union dues going to political candidates or causes that they don't support.
"This is not just a right-to-work issue," said Stacy Swimp, a right-to-work proposal supporter from Saginaw. "This is also a quality of life issue."
The proposals are aggressively opposed by labor unions. Union-represented teachers and representatives of other labor groups were at the state Capitol on Thursday, in part to counter the right-to-work group's announcement.
"This is just the latest in a long line of attacks on working and middle class families here in Michigan," Zack Pohl, spokesman for the union-supported We Are the People coalition, said in a statement.
Some right-to-work measures already have been introduced by Republican state lawmakers this year, including proposals that would allow counties and other local governments to create right-to-work zones within their boundaries. Those measures have not been voted on by the House or Senate.
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