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With the law now off the books, private-sector unions in the state can once again negotiate what are known as “union security” clauses. These are requirements that every worker in the bargaining unit pay fees to cover the costs associated with bargaining and enforcing the contract. (Michigan lawmakers also voted to repeal the right-to-work law for public-sector unions as well, but that move was merely symbolic since the U.S. Supreme Court made the entire U.S. public sector right-to-work in 2018.)
The right-to-work bill was not Whitmer’s only pro-labor move on Friday. She also signed another bill that will restore the state’s “prevailing wage” law, which sets minimum pay and benefit requirements for employees on government projects, like construction and service workers. Often criticized by conservatives, such laws keep pay rates higher on government-funded worksites and encourage the use of union labor.
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Whitmer’s office said restoring the law would “put more money in people’s pockets” and guarantees Michigan has a “well-trained, skilled workforce.”
