Gov. Whitmer Signs Historic Workers Rights Bills Into Law in Michigan – By Julia Conley (Common Dreams) / Mar 24 2023
“After decades of anti-worker attacks, Michigan has restored the balance of power for working people by passing laws to protect their freedom to bargain for the good wages, good benefits, and safe workplaces they deserve,” said one labor organizer.
Workers’ rights advocates in Michigan on Friday applauded as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a repeal of the state’s so-called “right-to-work” law and restored the prevailing wage standard for state-funded construction projects.
The new laws make Michigan the first state to roll back anti-union right-to-work laws, which bar unions from requiring that all workers in unionized jobs pay dues, in nearly six decades.
“It feels great to be a Michigander today,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Any day that the corporate interests and lobbyists in Lansing fail is a day that deserves special recognition. It’s refreshing to see workers get the recognition and rights they deserve after years of Republicans doing everything they could to undermine unions and the ability to organize in the workplace.”
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