Michigan Senate Votes to Repeal Right-to-Work Law in Victory for Organized Labor
The Michigan Senate approved a bill on Tuesday to repeal the state’s right-to-work law that allows employees in unionized jobs to opt out of membership and paying dues in a victory for organized labor, sending the bill to the state House.
The bill, which narrowly passed along party lines in a 20-17 vote, would remove language from the state’s Employment Relations Commission Act that has allowed individuals at unionized workplaces to not be required to become a member of a union or pay any fees or dues to the union.
The state House has approved its own version of the legislation, but must agree on the final language for the bill. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has said she will sign the bill into law if it comes to her desk.
The bill will likely be the next major legislative win for the state’s Democrats, who won control of both the state Senate and House and the governorship for the first time in 40 years in November.