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AP: c845775d-f40f-4fd2-a995-9b967db51819
A protester walks past Michigan State Police at the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. The crowd is protesting right-to-work legislation passed last week. Michigan could become the 24th state with a right-to-work law next week. Rules required a five-day wait before the House and Senate vote on each other's bills; lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene Tuesday and Gov. Snyder has pledged to sign the bills into law. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Blowback

BY Dave Ross  on December 11, 2012 @ 7:54 am (Updated: 8:25 am - 12/11/12 )

Right-To-Work states are states where even if your workplace is unionized, you're not forced to join the union. You earn the same as union employees, get the same job protections, but you don't have to pay union dues if you don't want to.

Unions call those employees free-riders. But the free-riders argue, 'why should we pay for protections we never asked for?' To which the unions say, wait 'til you see what happens to your wages if all that stuff goes away.

Michigan workers are about to find out, because a Right-To-Work bill has been gliding through the Michigan legislature with surprising speed and in Detroit, WWJ Newsradio 950's phones are on fire with opinions on both sides.

Maybe Michigan's employers will all turn out to be like Costco, which is famously generous even though it's non-union.

But the kicker is that all this actually began with a campaign to PROTECT unions. Unions got a measure on the November ballot to lock their collective bargaining rights into the State Constitution, as protection from the Right-To-Work Movement.

But the measure was TROUNCED 58-42. In a state that went for Obama!

It was blood in the water. The Republican legislature attacked and now all the unions have left are massive demonstrations.

"About 2,000 people in the (Capitol) building, upwards of 10,000 outside and we have 150 troopers watching, trying to keep the peace."

By the way -- the new Right-To-Work Bill does specifically exempt two unions: the firefighters and the police.

Dave Ross, KIRO Radio Talk Show Host
Dave Ross is co-host of The Ross & Burbank Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 9-Noon) and never too far from the spotlight.
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Comments (42)


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  • Alex Mason wrote...
    Who CARES what it means for the "workers".
    December 11, 2012 1:09 pm
    What matters is what "works" for the god ### taxpayers. Wrong question.
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  • Forrest wrote...
    Be careful what you wish for.
    December 11, 2012 1:22 pm
    Without the union wages Boeing pays it's workforce, the economy in this area would tank. All those union members buying boats, new cars, restaurant meals, homes and other consumer goods fuels the economy in Puget Sound. Remember when Boeing had the big layoffs in the late seventies? Last one to leave Seattle, turn out the lights. One final question, why do the politicians always exempt the cops and firefighters?
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  • logical open mind wrote...
    forest the fool South carolina Boeing is right to work. The work force has better attendance than Seattle Boeing and they are doing a bang up job.
    December 11, 2012 6:32 pm
    I worked for Boeing, non union and did quite well. i also had good benefits and liked my job and the company-You are wrong, without unions some workers would make more and some less. Unions allow the lame to keep their job.
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  • logical open mind wrote...
    children of the left, put down your bong and start to learn about the global market place.
    December 11, 2012 6:42 pm
    Boeing is automating more and more year every year. They are evaluating a robot that will replace numerous workers as we speak. They moved to S Carolina. All Boeing is doing is paying new hires far, far less and waiting out the old timers. The world has changed children, learn and be in a place to take advantage of the change or cry and whine and drug and booze-that will make it better.
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  • Forrest wrote...
    logical open mind
    December 11, 2012 8:07 pm
    Who is going to buy goods and services if everyone is working for subsistence wages? Who's going to fly on those airplanes Boeing is building?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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