As unions across the country continue their efforts to stave off Right to Work battles, GOP leaders in Michigan are attempting expand the war on labor to a new front.
“Michigan Radio” reports that State Senator Arlan Meekoff (R-West Olive) has introduced a bill that would extend Right to Work legislation to attorneys, making it illegal to require them to pay membership dues to the State Bar of Michigan.
Building off the passing of Right to Work legislation in 2012, the new bill comes amid long held apprehensions by labor groups that Right to Work would continue to gain traction into other arenas.
“We were concerned that something like this could happen because when it starts it snowballs,” said Pat Sink, IUOE Local 18’s business manager. “We’re doing everything we can as an organization to fight before the momentum starts. Right to Work is a mistake but the public bought it. And now lawmakers there are doubling down. This cannot happen in Ohio and we’re hoping to learn from what’s happening up there.”
Last October, Greg McNeilly, a vocal Right to Work supporter in Michigan , called for legislation to repeal the law that requires lawyers to pay fees to the Michigan Bar and that he’s hoping to help introduce a bill that would make state bar membership optional.
At the time, Ohio labor supporters were agitated at the thought of Right to Work advocates’ aggressive expansion into new areas, however the latest developments may have turned annoyance into determination.
“We simply can’t let Right to Work gain an inch,” said Sink. “If we falter even a little bit, it has the potential to turn into a runaway train because Right to Work proponents trick people into buying into something false.”
Opponents of recent Right to Work bills, also known as “Workplace Freedom,” contend that the initiative’s true purpose is to kill unions and worker protections, ultimately leading to a weaker middle class.
By stripping workers of their rights and freedoms, business owners would be free to lower worker pay, reduce worker benefits and ignore worker rights.
To keep voters well informed on the dangers of Right to Work, the IUOE Local 18 union-backed advocacy group Keep Ohio’s Heritage has been running ads on cable and network television designed to educate voters on the issue.
Direct link: https://prnewschannel.com/2014/02/04/union-objection-as-michigan-introduces-legislation-to-expand-right-to-work-to-lawyers/SOURCE: Keep Ohio's Heritage
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