"FREEDOM To Work" Legislation in Michigan report

[Joseph M Lenard (JLenardDetroit)]

"Labor Freedom: where unions are as free to make their case as workers are to make their choice."
- Michigan Freedom to Work Coalition


I attended a (Tue. Sep. 21) "'Freedom To Work' Legislation discussion". Here is a brief report of some of what was discussed...


What the key presenter (from: Union Conservatives) wanted to make clear from the start was that the issue is NOT anti-Union, nor Union busting; as he IS a UAW member currently; but was/is about Freedom Of Choice (further, Freedom of Association / U.S.Constitution Amendment 1 (extended SCOTUS rulings)). The Freedom (Individual Liberty) to Join, or not, and to Pay, or not! An actual "choice" or Freedom, NOT extortion and forced participation (forced Union-ism). This will NOT infringe on the Right to Unionize nor push de-certification of existing Unions (all those statutes remain, unchanged and in effect, as was/is - unlike what Unions want with Card-Check to make it easier to Force Unionize with a minority; non-secret - pressured - balloting).


The Left (Liberals/Progressives) insist that every woman be given the choice as to whether to abort an unborn child, but they do NOT want you to have your Constitutional Right (Freedom of Association) to CHOOSE whether or NOT to join a Union of your own free will and inclination; or NOT! The Union Leadership wants to continue (what they obtained about a half-century ago) their; monopoly within some businesses and forced dues collection; forced Union membership -- NEVER to compete in the realm of ideas as to why one would want (choose) to join their Union. This is a violation of your Rights (USC First Amendment; Freedom of Association, or to NOT associate).


Many know about the Boeing/NLRB battle over SC plant/jobs, but few know that Michigan could have had those jobs if it had moved on "Freedom To Work" before. Boeing visited, and considered, refurbishing a Willow Run, MI. (see story: Michigan bids for Boeing plant) plant for its Dreamliner, but opted for South Carolina because of its "Right To Work" status.


It doesn't take a Rocket scientist or Statistician to understand that Michigan is on the losing end of the Jobs market, and is in steep decline. One just has to talk to Family, Friends, and/or Neighbors, to find stories of those who have had to take up roots from Michigan to go somewhere else in order to have meaningful (if any at all) employment. Here are those FACTS that back up that anecdotal evidence...

• "In 2010 alone, Michigan lost 11.7% of its union workers*" (from 710,000 to 627,000).
• "Between 2000 and 2008, 4.8 million people moved from the 28 forced union states to the 22 Right To Work states - that's one person every minute of every day.**"

Over the past decade Right To Work (RTW) states grew faster in nearly every respect than Forced Union (FU) counterparts**:

• 2000 - 2009 Growth -- RTW versus FU --
• Gross state product / RTW: +54.6% / FU: +41.1%
• Personal income / RTW: +53.3% / FU: +40.6%
• Population size / RTW: +11.9% / FU: +6.1%
• Payrolls/Wages / RTW: +4.1% / FU: -0.6%
• **source: "Boeing and the Union Berlin Wall" - WSJ, 5/13/2011

Population and Job Growth

• 1990 - 2008:
• Private sector jobs growth / RTW: +44.3% / FU: -23.3%
• Population growth / RTW: +33.9% / FU: -14.8%

Likewise, "gainers" versus "losers" in Private sector jobs growth is easy to understand/see (1999-2009)***:
The top five States (gainers) being Texas (+866,000), Florida (+291,600), Arizona (+194,800), Virginia (+138,400), and Nevada (+124,500), are ALL Right To Work States! While the bottom (losers) five: California (-170,400), Indiana (-225,300), Illinois (-332,700), Ohio (-508,200), and (last, 50th, with the most losses) Michigan (-687,600).
*** Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department Of Labor.


See Michigan Freedom to Work Coalition
for even more depressing, but not surprising, numbers.

Wonder why some States went Blue in 2008? These statistics explain that if you factor in the [despite (R) 2010 gains] Exporting/Expanding BLUE-ism process, as folks escape Forced Union States for Right To Work States.

A brief aside: I am glad for the change in terms to "Freedom To Work" as the old "Right To Work" sounded much more like a Union leadership mentality (SOCIALIST) term suggesting someone has the RIGHT to their job no matter how lazy or horrible they are at their job (think Teacher tenure)!


"Freedom To Work" Legislation does NOT yet have a Bill number, but is easily identifiable by its name.

Key Legislators (sponsors), in this process, are Representative Mike Shirkey (MI-House #65) and Senator Patrick Colbeck**** (MI-Senate #7).
Call and/or Write your favorite Michigan Representatives to pressure them to co-sponsor any such Legislation!!
**** see: ACTION CALLS (http://rattlewithus.ning.com/page/rwuw-recall/) stopping RECALLS "Action Call," as the Union leadership is targeting Colbeck (in WI style Thug-ocracy politics) for a Recall. Colbeck Campaign [DONATE] (here).

The following book was highly recommended: "Free Choice for Workers: A History of the Right to Work Movement" ....


Sources and Important related materials:
ACTION CALL: Unions attempt WI style Thug-ocracy tactics: RECALL
Acton Institute
BLUE-ism, Exporting/Expanding
ITPP (Independent Tea Party Patriots)
*Michigan Freedom to Work Coalition
Michigan Votes (see how your Representative has voted)
Union Conservatives Not all Union members are Liberal!
Union Liberty site - coming soon


As always, Regards from JLenardDetroit from "NoMoTown (The MOTORless CITY)"
Remember - "Liberals - looking to do for America, what they've done to Detroit. - Destroy it!"
"I think, therefore I am Conservative"
"Conservative by choice, Republican by necessity"
"The more things 'hope and change' the more they stay the same"
closing quotes attributable to (me) JLenardDetroit



cross-posted: "Rattle With Us" Tea Party, Before It's News, and RedState

Remember what the Union's LEADERSHIP thinks of you:
James Hoffa Jr. - Detroit - Take these SOB's out
http://youtu.be/VfzMsD2njMc/

[Peter Buxton]

In FrontPage Magazine author John Fund notes how to break this untoward union power and reduce the influence of the bosses over the members:

Why is it important to have this mandatory collection of union dues?  Well, first of all, it is a privilege that almost no one else has.  There is not a single private entity in this country that has the power to extract money from your wallet without your permission.  The American Association of Retired Persons can’t do it, no charity can do it, no church can do it; but unions can do it.

And this is even unprecedented in the world.  In Germany, which is one of the leading lights of the labor union movement of the industrialized West — did you know that labor union dues are voluntary in Germany?  You don’t have to pay them.  If you don’t want to pay them, you don’t have to.  But in the United States, you do have to pay them.  And here’s why.

Mitch Daniels reduced public union power to 5% of public employees. The same happened in Utah. This is how to win:

We have discovered the soft underbelly of the Left in this country.  It is mandatory payment of union dues to unions to pay for politics, to elect politicians, to make government grow bigger, so the unions can grow bigger.  It’s a vicious circle.  If we stop this, if we learn from our defeat in Ohio, and we learn from our victory in Wisconsin, we have discovered the secret to disassembling their political power base and finally saving the money which can make all taxpayers once again the recipient of efficient, honest government services, without the 30 to 40 percent overhead the unions represent.

Victory can be ours if we push for it.