Michigan bills weakening union power signed into law
 

LANSING, MICH. (CNNMoney)
As protesters descended on the Michigan Statehouse Tuesday, two controversial "right-to-work" measures that would weaken unions' power were signed into law.

The House approved two bills, which the Senate already passed last week. Both chambers are dominated by Republicans.

On Tuesday evening. Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, signed the legislation, which allows workers at union-represented employers to forgo paying dues.

Thousands of people, many of them union workers, gathered outside the statehouse, chanting and holding signs as snow fell. At least three schools were closed as teachers traveled to Lansing to protest.

There are 23 states which have right-to-work laws, mostly in the South and western plains states, where union membership is relatively weak. Nationwide, union membership stands at 11.8%.

Related: Check union membership in your state

Michigan, the birthplace of the United Auto Workers where 17.5% of employees are represented by unions, would be by far the most heavily unionized state to pass such legislation. It would join neighboring Indiana in converting to right-to-work this year.

"It would devastate the workers," UAW President Bob King told CNN Tuesday morning. "We're worried about all workers in the state of Michigan."

Advocates of the bill say it will help attract businesses to the state, but critics say that it would weaken labor's bargaining strength by cutting union financial resources without doing anything to bring in more jobs.

Related: Michigan vote could be big blow to labor

Employees in right-to-work states have lower wages, on average, than their counterparts elsewhere, according to Richard Hurd, professor of labor studies at the ILR School at Cornell University. That's because the unions are weaker in those states and aren't as effective in bargaining for higher wages. Only two-thirds of workers join unions in right-to-work states, on average.

The average full-time, full-year worker in a right-to-work state makes about $1,500 less annually, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning organization. The rate of workers covered by employer-sponsored health insurance is 2.6 percentage points lower, while pension coverage is 4.8 percentage points lower.

Related: Top 8 union jobs

Right-to-work states have done better in terms of growing jobs, according to State Budget Solutions, an advocacy group that supported the measure. Right-to-work states saw employment expand by 8.2% between 2001 and 2010, while those without the law experienced a 0.5% decrease, according to the group's analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.


The measure's passage would symbolize the declining fortunes of the nation's once powerful union movement. Only four states have passed right-to-work laws since the 1960s.

"If right-to-work passes in Michigan, it demonstrates the weakness of the labor movement," Hurd said. "If it can happen in Michigan, there's a feeling it can happen anywhere."

CNNMoney's Chris Isidore and CNN's Poppy Harlow and Alison Kosik contributed to this report. To top of page

That's too bad...

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& my favorite pic of my friend that attended this. Lol at his caption on top of the pic

Sad we all had to be here ! The State of Michigan workers have been LIED to by our Governor !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Lied to? Bwaaahahaha Join the ****ing club!

So glad I live in Washington state where we don't elect republicans

The freedom to decide whether you want your hard-earned money to go to a bunch of thugs. Who'd a thunk it?

But yet they can mooch off the people who do.
If you don't want to work for a union then just go work for a nonunion shop.

I guess the whole right to work missed your bat. Unless it is a right to work state there can be no non-union shops~

Those teachers who skipped work and closed down those schools to protest should be fired.

So average $1500 less per year in right to work states. What do annual union dues amount to?

I guess you just don't believe in freedom then. China is but 22 hours of flight time away from you. PDX or SEA->Narita->Beijing. Not hard to get on one, I've travelled it so off you go if you like someone else dictating where your earned money goes without your consent

Damn all those evil teachers, policeman, firefighters and construction workers.

DAMN THEM ALL

Not if the school board approved it. In Missouri in the early 90's the school I worked at shut down and protested in Jefferson City

All of them? Or just the ones who don't pay dues?

yeah pretty much.

None of them want the right to decide. Sing along...Look for the union label.....