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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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83% of Michigan workers are not union members and they are doing fine.
You do realize that unions affect all wages, do you not? Each area has it's own wage scale, so to speak. Have you not noticed the difference in wages between New York City vs. say, Omaha?
Not true
When has a union ever been concerned with non union wages.
No unions do NOT affect wages. Wher my wife worked unions lied about higher wages and better benefits. When they were voted in their wages and benefits went down. How could that happen if their wages were based on union wages? That is not as isolated case.
Sorry, your propaganda doesn't stand up to the facts.
If they don't affect wages, then you need to look into the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tn.
While the UAW was trying to organize the plant, the average wage for a plant worker was about 24 dollars.
After voting out the union 3 times, management decided to cut contributions to the 401 plans (which is their right to do so)and started hiring out jobs to a temp service(Randstadd) as people retired, or were let go.(for various reasons)
Now, those temp workers make between 10-13 an hour, with at least 1000 now working at the plant, which employs about 2500-3000.
Don't try to tell me union wages don't affect non-union wages...
This is a fact.
That percentage is about to go way up!!!
Michigan voters voted down a amendment to the states constitution regarding collective bargaining. 60%+
I guess as the democrats would say, this is a mandate and the state legislators are following through on their mandate to curb union control of Michigan workers who do not want to pay to work.
Tracy, how old are you?
decades
I live in Michigan, how about you?
jcc how old are you???
let me guess 22???
You know as much about guessing ages as you do about labor history. You are way off on both counts.
I'm old enough to have witnessed the dumbing down of the country. You are a prime example.
jcc, You were born in 07????????????
If Michigan goes right to work, wages will decrease. More workers will be left without health care insurance. Tax revenue will decrease. The quality of live will decrease. So, how is this good for the citizens of Michigan?
How? Please be specific.
Check out the statistics of the RTW states. In the bottom half in every statistic except for stupidity.
Please tell us what Right to Work is? Please be specific.
An anti-labor law enacted by backward, regressive states. Is that specific enough?
It's total propaganda to compare states. Wildly differing cost of living, wildly differing work specifics.
Not really specific at all. You do know that the percentage of Michigan works that are union members have dropped from 26% to 17% since 1989?
the cost of living is 20% higher in forced unionized states
Bull$hit!
If you overlaid a map of the Confederate states on a map of the right to work states, you have a near dead match.
It is a state rights issue so I would say that is a major factor.
Did you know that democrats were the main proponents of slavery?
You have your history down???
But you aren't much on current events?????
Ya. The right to own slaves. You truly are an idiot!
The pro-slave Democrats are today's Republicans. Did you not hear of the southern strategy?
No I have not heard of it. Tell me about it and please be specific.
Tracy, go play with someone more on your level. You aren't cutting it here. I can't stoop that low.
Tracy, you'll have to deal with this idiot, I've got to get some sleep!!
You are surely capable!!!
So you are saying you don't know enough about what you have been posting to be specific?
Thanks Gary but I need to go too.
jcc I hope you sleep well to night curled up in your hammer and sickle flag.
That's OK, JCC...
After the azz kicking they took in Nov., something tells me that somehow, they will become very proficient at black and latino azz kissing.
No doubt. They've been azz kissing the wealthy their whole life.
lmao.....that was plain funny!
Why do democrats think workers....who are NON Union....should pay UNION dues? This just shows you how STUPID democrats really are.
Maybe the Unions should be asking the RICH IN CONGRESS....like Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, Durbin, Kerry and Obama himself..to start paying UNION DUES....BIG FEES......just watch what these MEGA RICH democrats would do. They are a the greediest bunch of money hogs in DC!!
UNIONS AND DEMOCRATS ARE SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF AMERICA!!!!!
Yeah, I can see how 10% of the American workforce is taking us down, Julie.
So, being that the other 90% of workers should more than offset the decline, should we maybe start looking at greedy CEO's, corporate mismanagement, and pehaps our trade laws?
Georgia is a right to work state and the cost of living is higher than New York, a Union state...
These right wingers are pretty much all singing the same song. The blacks and latinos are lazy and are on the take is their mantra. Somehow, they don't make the connection that the 1% is the fox in the hen house. In fact, they invite the fox into the hen house, all the while guarding against the non-intruder. As Forrest Gump said, "Stupid is as stupid does".
this is the brain cells they have...its God will for a women to get rape..and have his baby...when you think like that your all f-up
its God will to get rape...and have low paying jobs...from the christian party..the tea party is the name
I can see morning Joe praising this law tomorrow......a job is a job....huh joe...funny joe how much money do you make just sitting in a chair bad mouthing workers on your show??
Tea Partiers are takers... Non rich Republicans are brown nosing lackies...
and stupid.one of my friends here in texas hates obama...she told me i have to take my kid to the doctor...her son is 20...i told her Obama made that happen...she look at me like a deer looking at a head light...nothing was there.
The top/main reason the democrats want this Right to Work law to be vetoed is because they will loose a MAJOR part of their monetary support that the Union bosses lavish on them.The Union Bosses donates tons of money to the democratic party. The money comes from workers who MUST pay dues to the union in able to keep their job. The Union Bosses rely on the Democratic Party to favor them and keep them in power so the bosses can get rich themselves. The union workers have NO SAY WHATSOEVER in who the bosses donate to. They just keep paying their dues which gets filtered to the Democratic Party. The union bosses have been milking the workers forever. If the Right To Work laws get passed this will make the union an elective thing where a person (worker) can join the union IF HE WANTS TO and need NOT join the Union and still get the benefits and NOT HAVE TO PAY DUES TO THE UNION. The unions help the worker to some degree, but they HELP THEMSELVES and the DEMOCRATIC PARTY MORE. If the law is passed that a worker NOT NEED TO JOIN A UNION then money (from dues) won't get filtered to their party nor will the UNION BOSSES GET RICH. The unions are NOT LIKE THEY USED TO BE... 100% for the workers. They are for themselves and the Democratic Party. THEY SCRATCH EACH OTHERS BACK and the workers pay for it. Yes, workers reap SOME BENEFITS , but the real GOLD gets paid to the UNION and the PARTY. Making it MANDATORY for a worker to join a Union in order to get or keep his job is WRONG. PASS THE RIGHT TO WORK LAW!
so..and your point is
A perfect example of how easily right wingers are duped is the NRA membership. Every time a Democrat is elected president, the NRA pitches the fallacy that the newly elected Democrat is trying to take their guns away. I've seen 13 presidents ( 12 elected, Ford was not elected) and NONE have tried to repeal the 2nd amendment. The NRA sells fear, plain and simple. It wouldn't surprise me if the gun and ammo manufactures contributed money to Obama's campaign. Gun and ammo sales increased 40% with his election, the first time. NRA membership increased, as well. Ray Charles could see through this. Not our myopic friends on the right, though.
Unionize the corporate bosses... Oooops my bad, they're already united against the unpaid, overworked employees...
dont forget they are Christian
The Bush/Cheney Regime wasn't elected either... They perpetrated a coup d'etat and usurped the Presidency...
Non rich Republicans vote for Republican politicians who embarrass America on the world stage...
you have that right
does Donald trump have union workers??
I don't know about his company workers, but there is not a building built in NYC without union labor. Most of the food served and drinks poured are by union labor. Donald Trump may not like union workers, but he sure pays a lot of them.
Union workers are the ones who pound the pavement to get out the vote... Unions created the middle class and without Unions, the middle class will disappear... There will be two economic classes, the rich and the poor...
In 1971 I worked at a plant that was unionized. I worked there, didn't understand why the union was taking money from my paycheck I could have used. I asked if there was a choice and they said "No". The flood of 1972 closed the plant and I never worked anywhere there was a union. Why give some group of people (The Union) a huge paycheck and cars on my work?
Kathy, when you worked at the union plant did you have company paid health care insurance? Did you have a company paid pension plan? How about those nonunion jobs you worked? Pay? Benefits?
You paid union dues because the union was representing you and bargaining on your behalf. Have you ever hired the services of a lawyer, accountant? Same thing, Kathy.
"Right to work" really means "right to work for next to nothing."
Yup..
The problem with America is, workers make too much,.. and have too many rights and benefits...
That's the ticket...
K1200 - ya sure, you betcha. Just look at how many less rights and benefits the workers of England and Europe have...we're pathetice, aren't we?