Right-to-work bill passed in Republican-led Michigan House after walkout by Democrats

mlive.com ^ | December 06, 2012 at 4:55 PM | Tim Martin

[quantim]

LANSING, MI - The Michigan Legislature has begun passing right-to-work bills in a historic move that was announced just this morning.

The Michigan House voted on House Bill 4054, passing it 58-52 mostly partly-line vote in the Republican-led chamber. The bill goes to the Republican-led Senate, which also is taking up right=to-work legislation today.

Bills must pass both chambers and be signed by Gov. Rick Snyder to become law.

The vote occurred after Democrats left the House in protest because Republicans would not suspend debate to acknowledge a lawsuit filed to reopen the Capitol, which as closed, according to police, due to structural concerns. Democrats believe it was a move to keep protesters from filling the gallery.

Snyder and Republican legislative leaders earlier in the day announced plans to make Michigan the 24th state with a right-to-work law that would end mandatory payment of union dues as a condition of employment. It has sparked large protests at the Capitol by union members and anger from Democrats upset the right to work issue never even got a committee hearing.

[A message]

Your statement is one of common sense which in todays society is verboten.

[FlingWingFlyer]

The DemocRATS were just doing what their commie union masters told them to do.

[FlingWingFlyer]

If Michigan can get rid of those greedy, commie unions, Detroit may not need Barry to bail it out after all.

[cripplecreek]

Nice. The SEIU now has shirts that directly link them to Obama.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Wow! Hopefully, if Americans can ever retake our country and our government, the first ones sent to prison will be Barry’s SEIU Purple People Eaters.

[rainee]

One in the same right?

Disgusting...

[nascarnation]

Another “starving” victim of the Obama recession.

or

More living proof that food stamps will keep yer belly full.

[cripplecreek]

Apparently there were several arrests after the thugs tried to rush the police who hosed them down with pepper spray.

They called in two platoons of state police.

Personally I wish the senate had gone ahead and voted tonight too and just got it done with but the Michigan republicans have shown a surprising ability to beat the liberals at their own game. They might very well be setting the unions up to collect some bad PR.

[Beagle8U]

The senate was getting ready to vote as of 6:30 pm.

It should be ready for Snyder to sign tomorrow.

[hinckley buzzard]

I’m trying to restart the Toledo strip war so we can trick Ohio into winning Detroit

Hell, I'm trying to trick Michigan into taking back Toledo.

[quantim]

The rats gathered over a million signatures (that’s 10% of our state’s population) to get Prop. 2 collective bargaining stuffed in our state constitution - that’s lot of signatures and they still lost!

Also our Prop. 5 went down in flames too, it was a SEIU ballot initiative to force in home care-givers into their filthy union.

Michigan is remarkably red at the state level across the board, no rat holds an elected job higher than county.

And in the event the 17th Amendment was repealed we’d be rid of our disgusting ‘commie union master’ senators, Fat Deb Stabacow and Karl Marx Levin as well and would be as red as any state in the land.

[Gene Eric]

<< Apparently there were several arrests after the thugs tried to rush the police who hosed them down with pepper spray.

The taxpayers need to stand up to these thugs with the same amount iron — in a legal manner of course.

[cripplecreek]

And in the event the 17th Amendment was repealed we’d be rid of our disgusting ‘commie union master’ senators, Fat Deb Stabacow and Karl Marx Levin as well and would be as red as any state in the land.

It irritates me that they have zero loyalty to the state whatsoever. The legislature is doing good work to ease regulations and the two communists are working in exactly the opposite direction. The 17th amendment was popular vote snake oil that promised "empowerment" and delivered exactly the opposite.

[Beagle8U]

Michigan’s unions wondered what they were getting for Christmas, and now they know,.. Boar Hogged ‘dry and ruff’ by Rick Snyder.

[quantim]

It passed the MI senate!

Right-to-work bill wins approval from Michigan Senate, House
 

By David Eggert | deggert1@mlive.com
on December 06, 2012 at 7:40 PM


Union workers hold up a signs during a rally outside the Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 as Senate Republicans introduced right-to-work legislation in the waning days of the legislative session.AP Photo | Carlos Osorio  
 
Related: Right-to-work bill passed in state House

LANSING, MI – After hours of debate, a Republican-dominated Michigan Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would help make Michigan the 24th state with a right-to-work law prohibiting unions from collecting fees from workers who decline union representation.

It was a historic and tension-filled process, marked by occasional yells and clapping from union members sitting above in the gallery to watch. Some were escorted out or left voluntarily after yelling down at senators as Lt. Gov. Brian Calley - the Senate president - sought decorum.

Senate Bill 116 approved 22-16 would apply to private employees; the House earlier approved House Bill 4054 for public employees on a 58-52 vote. Police officers and firefighters would stay in closed union shops under the measures..

“This is a historic event. We ought to treat history better than this," said Sen. John Gleason, Flushing, who joined Democrats whose level of opposition to the legislation was equaled by their frustration with the process.

No committee hearings were held. The bill language was seen for the first time just hours after Gov. Rick Snyder and GOP legislative leaders announced their plan to pass a right-to-work law.

Senate Democrats tried but failed to make 20 amendments to the bill in a chamber where they have just 12 seats. Republicans have 26.

(snipped)

[cripplecreek]

Police officers and firefighters would stay in closed union shops under the measures.

I'm not thrilled with that but its a reasonable compromise since they can't strike

[quantim]

Excluding cops and firefighters is really small potatoes compared to making eunuchs of all the teacher’s unions here that mobilize every square inch of the state at the drop of the hat.

They are gonna bail the unions by the thousands and take their money with them.

[cripplecreek]

Excluding police and firefighters also sets up a division between them and the rest. I expect the democrats to go after them now.

[FlipWilson]

Can they pass voter ID while they are at it?

[GeronL]

How about the compromise be they get a tattoo on their head that says “I work for taxpayers, not the union”