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Subscribe to RSSAs more protests are planned in Michigan over the controversial right-to-work bill, Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-Mich.) tells MSNBC's Thomas Roberts that he's concerned the legislation will "end up cutting wages and benefits for middle-income workers who really need the money right now."
Michigan's congressional delegation met Monday with Gov. Rick Snyder, asking him to veto or at least delay a vote on a "right to work" law moving through the state's legislature.
Democrats and organized labor groups have launched an all-out blitz they are hoping might halt legislation that would establish workers' rights to employment in a workplace without having to join a union. The Republican-held state legislature passed versions of the legislation last week, and are set to bring it up for final consideration as soon as Tuesday.
NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss the fiscal cliff deadline and President Obama's motives behind his trip to Michigan on Monday.
Snyder, a first-term Republican governor who's fashioned himself as a more pragmatic leader, has said he would sign the bill if it came to his desk.
"We strongly urged the governor to veto the so-called right to work bill, or at a minimum, ask the legislature to delay the vote on it," Sen. Carl Levin said in a conference call to describe Democrats' meeting with the governor. "The governor listened, and he told us that he would 'seriously,' in his words, consider our concerns."
Former Michigan Republican Governor John Engler, who is the president of the business roundtable, joins The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd to talk about President Barack Obama's trip the Michigan, the fiscal cliff, and Michigan's 'right to work' law.
Snyder's office had no immediate reaction to Democrats' characterization of the meeting.
Michigan has become the latest Midwestern epicenter over labor rights as a result of this fight, following Ohio and Wisconsin. The Republican governors of those states led efforts to curb or eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees' unions.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin
National Democrats have begun to wade into the fight as well, issuing blistering statements warning against the Michigan proposal. The fight could be elevated further this afternoon, when President Barack Obama visits the Detroit area in a previously-scheduled trip.
Democrats are particularly incensed by a procedural move used by Republican authors of the bill which would prevent the law from being challenged by a statewide referendum. The Democrats who met Monday with Snyder said they had also urged the governor to change that provision, so that the right to work proposal could be brought to a popular vote.
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How can such a law pass constitutional muster (1st Amendment right of association)? How can elites keep grandstanding about our vibrant democracy when there is none --nada-- zilch-- in the workplace where Americans spend the most of their (waking) time? Isn't the incoherence apparent to anyone with functioning cognition?
No economic democracy, no political democracy. It's that simple. And unionism is democracy, until labor "leaders" sell out (but that's a different issue). When the workplace becomes indistinguishable from prison, we have hit the bottom.
Next chapter: the return of indentured servants and slavery and debtors prisons to the world's biggest Plantation: the USA.
Does right to assembly mean that we can be REQUIRED to assemble with those we would choose NOT to assemble with? That is what mandatory union membership is. This law does not tell anyone they can't join a union, only that they will not be forced to. Look at Wisconsin. The union membeship dropped to near nothing when they passed a similar law for public employees. It's no wonder the unions are scared. We are already forced to belong to one of the world's largest unions - the American Taxpayer's Union. We have about as much say there as typical union members have in the affairs of their unions, and the people running them are even more corrupt. Isn't that enough?
Unions and their inherent corruption and greed have destroyed the industrial base of this country. If they're all sent packing today, that will be just fine. Should have happened years ago.
jpoo...Are you middle class? If so, you can thank unions for that....clueless...
or maybe WWII niteman
niteman,
No I am not middle class (I don't think) and I don't owe any union a damn thing - thank God!
The skills I've built up through hard, honest, non-unionized work have served me far better than some corrupt union ever would have.
So are you a tradesman? If so you should have joined an Union so you could have been trained properly as an apprentice and went to class as is required. If not I am sure all of your work is shoty and badly installed with every short cut in the book thrown in. Want a job completed right? Hire a union tradesman!!
crushedu, you are kidding right?
crushedu,
I'm not up on union jargon, so I'm not sure if an FAA certified airframe and powerplant mechanic and inspector is a "tradesman" or not. No union card required to do it right the first time, every time in my line of work.
If that's the case with you, that's a shame. Pride in workmanship and other ethical issues have always been plenty for me.
And crush-edu, you were taught to spell by union teachers, right? And your screen name - does that mean "crush education unions"?
What I mean is that anyone building a building ie plumbers, Electricians etc. should go through a certified trainning course. Non-union typically means trained in Mexico. Union Pride is caring about how things are installed! Non-union who knows what they care about.
crushedu,
So unionism and racism are kinda one and the same in your world, huh?
At least you're honest enough to stand up and say it, which is more than most folks would do. Gotta respect that, I guess.
Right To Work should be called "RIGHT TO WORK FOR LESS" but in this Michigan case, the people who do not want to join the union will still get the same pay and benefits as those who pay their union dues!So...what does that mean? It means REPUBLICAN'S SUPPORT FREE-LOADERS!
It means this is nothing more than UNION BUSTING because if people can get the same benefits and pay without paying dues, how long do you think unions will last?
What a total load!
Did you read up on this jpoo?? Don't answer that (you won't anyway because you didn't)
You support people who don't pay for the benefits that were hard fought by unions. You likely hate Affordable Care Act becuase it forces the free-loaders to actually PAY for going to the ER if they elect to NOT have insurance.
So....where are you delusionary people on this?
To long I'm afraid niteman we already have enough political action groups.
Hey nite,
Another way of looking at it would be to say that the unions forced employers to buy insurance for people who should have been paying for it themselves. Sounds like "freeloading" to me.
I'm against the ACA because it taxes the middle class so that the free-loaders get vouchers to pay for medical care that I have to pay twice for now.
Free loaders will still get free healthcare and you will pay for it. Better read up on the Health Care act.
Ridiculous logic there jpooch - Actually no logic there....
uNSAFE....They are forced to pay the penalty fee (or tax if you want to call it that) if they are uninsured so...somehow that is wrong???
AT LEAST THEY ARE PAYING SOMETHING INTO THE SYSTEM!
Not if they can't afford it niteman that was the whole idea behind the bill, redistrubtion
niteman,
Just because you can't understand the logic doesn't mean there is none.
Look at the ridiculous arguments you're posing if you need lack of logic, mine are totally sound.
Democrats are naive. These new Republican/Tea Baggers are true political terrorists.....take no hostages, scorch the earth kind of ideologues. They are the Conservative version of the 1960's terrorists, SDS, Weather Underground,. I'll not include Black Panthers as the little violence they ever exhibited- if any other than inflamatory speech- was against police and not civilians. Michelle Bachmann is the Angela Davis of the right,
A little melodramtic there Yhbua.
Seriously? I think you need some Valium , Black Panthers and non-violence? yea right, this is one of the most hysterical non-sensible posts I have ever read. Ridiculous.
Who was associated with the Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground? you mean Obama right?
Perhaps some but not widespread. As I said, their target were cops who notoriously broke plenty a black head for crimes whites got away with just a warning or a petty fine
Selfstarter, better stop playing with "self" and check your facts. Barack bama was 5 or 6 years old when Ayers participated in anti establishment violence. They met in Chicago and served on the Board of a non-for-profit organization at the request of, holy @!$%#, a lady who was a major Republican philanthropist
Let me ask these conservative 'know it alls', would you rather work at Walmart for $9.00 per hour with no health insurance, no benefits and a fight to get your 15min break, or to work at Costco for $23.00 per hour with health insurance, pensions etc. The major stock holder of Costco believes in Unions, he believes a well paid middle class worker is a better long term employee. Hardly any turnover. The reason you have Unions is to negotiate fair wages and benefits. In a right to work state, the employer tells you take it or leave it. But we do have a lack of education problem, maybe that's the Republicans problem. Those who want a free ride by not wanting to pay union dues, but want the same benefits are freeloaders, plain and simple, the kind of people who sign up for food stamps, borrow $10-$20 amd never pay it back, hit the emergency room and say they are broke, real upstanding citizens.
I worked at WalMart as an uneducated and inexperienced youth. The wages were fine then. I grew up, got an education, gained experience, and took on greater responsibilities and receive much higher pay for it. If you are of age and trying to raise a family, having never progressed from entry-level employee at Wal-Mart, you have made many poor career and life choices. That's not WalMart's problem.
I have a problem with people that don't pay federal income taxes. They drive on American highways, fly the friendly skies, receive goods and services delivered using the infrastructure, and receive retiree benefits that are largely subsidized by the poor unfortunates that follow the rules and succeed. The people that don't pay incoem taxes are freeloaders, they get the same benefits, but aren't willing to pay for them....
Dan - a money grab? Nobody owes you a damn thing. Its not your money to begin with. Go out an inven, create and build rather than suck the blood from those who do.
Right to work will kill any of the trades in this state. As soon as RTW gets in place all of the contractors are going to have to start hiring non-union workers to get scale wage jobs, which means they are going to get less skilled workers!. Union trademan are the best in the building industry. I have been on many union and non-union job sites as building electrical designer and the non-union jobs are dirty, badly run and every corner that can be cut will be. Shoty work and cheap material with bad installation!. Union job sites on the other hand are clean, well run and utilize good equipment! RTW sucks.
Non unions build the best cars.
Cry me a river unions........Unions are why we don't have any ho ho's or ding dongs or twinkies. The unions just cost 18,000 workers their jobs, pensions, and lively hood for their families. All that over a few pennies for heath insurance? Are you kidding me?
doofus: the unions took 2 pay cuts and cuts in benefits while the executives got bonus's and pay raises. It was mis-management by incompetent execs, not the unions.
To be prevented from joining a union is un-American, more like.
Who's preventing anyone from joining a Union Sammy?
Anyone who opposes Right-to-Work is a shill for the union mob, if not an outright communist.
Unions are self-serving and insidious -- especially public-sector unions.
Every worker should have a direct and *independent* relationship and agreement with his employer.
Irony is so ironical sometimes..... the Congressional Democrats think that a duly elected body of legislature and the governor can't pass and sign legislation because they think it will cost jobs and lower wages (despite NO evidence to back up the claim). At the same time, Congressional Democrats and the President can demand purely political legislation out of the House that will destroy jobs and opportunity......
Dalenkat - its amazing how you limit your options. I would rather go to college, get an industry relevant degree and either create something or at least get a higher paying job due to my skill set. Again, take a look at the rest of the world outside our borders. They are not paying anywhere near what you are asking for a mindless task. Better starting thinking and working harder. I am going to automate you out of a job.
Webbed...good, go to college, all 3 of my kids did and they are doing fine. But, lets be honest, not everyone can afford College, and not everyone has the aptitude. I'm sorry you think that people working menial tasks here should be paid as "the rest of the world outside our borders". At 73 years old, I still think of all US citizens as equal to me. I'm afraid you might be one of those republicans or conservatives that believe that the haves are better then the have nots. I feel sorry for you.
The 15 UAW workers video taped drinking and toking on their lunch time and FIRED by Chrysler have been REHIRED!! WHY WERE THEY REHIRED? Would you want to be driving that Cherokee that some drunk or stoned guy put together? This is why Unions are NOT GOOD for GOOD WORKERS!
Unions are one reason why our education system fails compared to many other countries- they force schools to keep the rotten apples so-to-speak. The primary goal of unions- dues- they provide 100 dollar lunches- w/their shrinking base no wonder they fight tooth-and-nail. Once a good idea now a greed grab- people retiring early and taxpayers foot the bill- fool's gold for taxpayers- only municipalites, fed and state and auto workers- hence the Obama tax payer funded bailout- I think only 11% of workers are union maybe less now that they drove Twinkies into the dust
To all the idiots on here who think unions are for keeping lazy people working have obviously never worked for one as a tradesman. As a Union tradesman you are required through a four year apprenticeship program and do regular drug testing. Also lazy employees will get laid off!!! and the union will not intervene!. RTW was brought into our state and we went from everyone speaking english and being well trained on job sites to everyone speaking spanish and not knowing anything!! Now you only have one or two guys who know what they are doing and they run around all day fixing all the Fups!!!
If you want cr*ppy work for Cr*ppy pay go the RTW route.
Let's see the right wingers try to suppress the vote and take more away from the working class! Why to people vote for these yahoos again?
I think we should all be unionized then when we go eat a McDonald's we can pay $15.00 for a Big Mac. Only the cost of living rise, union bosses and government receiving more taxes benefit are the only winners, not people who work. Look at the cost of living in those unionized states and tell me I am wrong.
That would be the same Democratic party that has done such a fine job utilizing their union focused approach for Detroit. Unemployment more than double the national average and a city so broken that 25% of the population gave up and moved out. This is what you get with Democratic leadership in Michigan.
And Liz Cheney is the conservative's version of Joanne Chesimard aka Assata Shakur with "her sister" as Rambo
Huh? Must be a hateful, bigoted lib. Can't understand a word you're saying.
Put your bible aside for a sec and hit the history books. BTW I heard Mary Cheney and her wife plan to name their in vitro baby Barack
Again, huh? More lib ranting.
Seems odd to me that the libs demand everyone be able to marry anyone they want, no matter how perverted and against nature, but they also want to demand that you join a union in order to provide for yourself. What happened to choice? Next thing you know, they'll be unionizing welfare recipients. Makes sense. King Hussein is a community organizer. That's just a union organizer who organizes people who don't work. How can any liberal, who supposedly wants everyone to be free, support forced affilliation with unions, and forced payment to said unions out of the money needed to support families? Absolutely no sense. Just goes to show, the libs have no true convictions, only those they are told to have.
Since only 7% of the workforce is unionized you should have no problem finding a non-union job. Why are you so angry? Is your pay too low? Do you even have a job?
Actually, I'm not worried for myself. I'm on salary and doing just fine, thank you. I don't like the idea of anyone being forced to join a union in order to work. I have been in that psotion in the past. I've found unions to be self-serving, dishonest, and found that for the most part they do nothing for their members. The union management, yes I said management (I thought management couldn't be union), is only out for themselves. One union I belonged to was the Teamsters in Portland, Oregon. I paid dues because I was required to, but got absolutely nothing in return. I made my own money based on the money I took in, I paid for my own health insurance, had no retirement unless I paid it myself. In other words, the ONLY thing the unions did for me was allow me to work so I could pay dues. There was not one single other benefit afforded me because of my forced union membership. How is that for you? If unions are so great, why not just eliminate all forced membership so the people could join freely? Wait, I know the answer to that question - because NO ONE WOULD JOIN. That's why nearly all public employees in Wisconsin who are no longer forced to belong have quit. If unions are so great, why do people have to be forced to join? Idjit.
All unions should be busted!!!!!! They give themselves way too much power over industry. Didn't they ever stop to think that if they bargain a business out of business, there job will be lost and no pay to follow. NOPE!!!! All they care about is RIGHT NOW and lining there own pockets with someone else's hard earned money. We all know most unions are lazy and drag jobs out for as long as possible.
you really show ck facts before making a fool of yourself
It is not fair to make someone join the mob, i mean union. They can join if they want or not, its up to them. This is the USA not the MOB. Right to Work is the American way. My daughter had to quit her job because the union dues were to expensive for her to live on, after paying dues and taxes.
Unions are there to protect workers rights. These laws are designed to bust unions. When businesses begin to take advantage of employees again what recourse will they have?
Compromise can happen, but this is another sterling example of Republicans ramming a law down the throats of their citizens versus some kind of meaningful compromise.
Unions only want one thing--- MORE
what a load of selfstarter....
So selfstarter is not only an idiot - he's a liar too.
the republican party is becoming more and more like nazis
Shut up, Rick. Like most people who bring up Nazis, you don't know what you're talking about.
The Nazis were on the extreme LEFT. They were the "National Socialists", both by name and practice.
Nazi's were definitely not "extreme left". Hitler outlawed unions in Germany. How does that fit?
Hitler worked with industrialists to maximize profit. That's not liberal.
Hitler increased the military, which party wants a bigger military?
Hitler *nationalized* everything. That's definitely collectivist and left-wing.
He also opposed individual rights and the religious sector, which is also very much left-wing.
That's why they were the "National Socialists". You can see the resemblance in our own extreme Left.
Sorry Porter, that's wrong. All in all, Hitler fit more Right wing than left wing philosophies.
Question to all. Do you yhink Ann Coulter and Geraldo ever got down to business
I dont know , do Al Sharpton and Chris Mattews?
Probably why?
I could care less, I was responding to Yhbua silliness-
Ozzie, despite their difference, there is a flirtatious confrontation everytime they meet. I've heard she's a man eater
so was I Celtic just didn't say so.
Unions in their day were necessary but labor laws have changed to eliminate the abusive employer. Today, unions are sucking the blood from workers everywhere. Just ask the Steel workers how their unions closed them down, Just ask the car industry how unions have all but bankrupted them. Ask how the New Jersey EA has sent our schools to the toilet. And ask the 18,000+ at Hostess now out of work because of the union.
When and how did labor laws change to protect the employed.
There are lots of Walmart employees working just below the level to get insurance. Is there a pension at Walmart? NO.
It's INFURIATING how the press always takes the side of the left, and MISREPRESENTS for their benefit.
From this article: "The Republican governors of those states led efforts to curb or eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees' unions."
Are you KIDDING ME ? The threatened "rights" here are the rights of a worker to take a job without joining a union. Not (as suggested by this statement) the rights of workers to collectively bargain if they so choose.
SUPPORT RIGHT TO WORK. Reject the Democrats' efforts to eliminate workers rights.