I think the fact that they have a majority in the house and senate plus a governor that will sign it, is the voice of the people. I think the minority, in a lot of cases, are just super loud, making people think that they represent what the people want, but really don't reflect the majority.

Dick, why is this action any different than the stunt that was pulled on a national level by Pelosi, Reed and Obama a few Christmas's ago?

The way I look at it, the labor unions thumbed their nose at Snyder and the peace treaty he had offered by pushing the Proposal 2 initiative. Proposal 2 was the shot across the bow so to speak. The people of Michigan spoke loud and clear on that one and this is Snyder's payback. Are labor unions the only political force that should be allowed to play hard ball?

i totally agree with bryce. dirty tricks deserve a thoughtful tough response, and the unions just got one. you tell me why people should be required to join a union in order to have a job. i was in a union when i was a kid, didn't want it, didn't need it and i was willing to rely on my work ethic and dedication to my job to progress and prosper. that, ladies and gentlemen, is what america should be about and freedom of choice. the unions should be for people who want them and feel that they need them, case closed.

Norman you thought process about work ethic, etc., is good, but what you fail to take into account is that bosses are human. If you get a bad one, they can fire you because of your race, ethnicity, religion, because they want to replace you with a friend, they don't like you and a million other factors not related to your work ethic. It is very naive to think that work ethic is the only factor keeping you employed. This law is a way to beat down wages until we are all working for peanuts. Why would anyone support that? You are driving down your own paycheck. Read labor history, or what is going on in sweatshops around the world that make things for American companies, and you might find the reason why those men fought so hard for unions 70 or so years ago.

Regardless of one's views on unions the Governor certainly demonstrated he speaks from both sides of his mouth. Anyone thinking they can trust him on education issues should now know better and expect bad things based on politics not education. I would urge anyone who has the ear of the Governor to urge him to use good sense about education and not retaliation against the perceived enemies of the Republican Party.

Listen, I am a Republican but you can't deny Snyder looks like a complete idiot now. This is what is ruining the party. He looks like a weak puppet that now will have the police following him forever to protect him from an issue he should of left alone like he promised. If you say the union asked for it with Prop 2 then signing this law would be an act of revenge and not of politics. He seals his fate with this. So what am I going to do at the plant when I have over 2000 workers at each others throats. Fun.

You are all tragically flawed. Convincing everyone that they should have a job working for someone else, instead of creating value for the community on your own through your passions... That was when this battle was lost. Seeking a job from someone else, no matter how managed, will always lead to unrest and unsatisfaction. Creating... Following your own passion... Using it to help others... That is where true happiness lies. JOB = Just Over Broke

Just a cautionary thought; Though the above dialogue is two sided, the amount of unionized workers in Michigan is something like 17%. So don't think the two sides are equally weighted. This is also close to national employment numbers. The fact is unions weild too much power for their numbers. And if rank and file members could speak freely, many would be in support of right to work. I know I was. My union dues often went to protecting incompetent workers and failed policies. Supporting union leadership that has, in many instances, long since passed it's usefulness and supports politicians that are anathema to their member's as taxpayers and consumers is rediculous.

Urge Him? a nerd is a nerd, do you think his ultimate goal, is to have one big School District, State wide......... one Principal and quite a few asst. principals. his goal is Reduce .........

Thank you all for your comments. Obviously I agree with some and disagree with others but the point is you as members of the public have taken the opportunity to express your views - which is exactly what was not allowed in Lansing. No public hearings were held. and of course once passed the law can not be changed by ballot proposal since a bit of an appropriation was included.

Unions only cover 17% of the work force in Michigan. Snyder is creating a favorable business climate in Michigan with legislation such as this one. Something Granholm could never do as she was beholden to the union lobby.
Unions served a purpose back in the 20's and 30's. Currently most of the things that unions fought for back then, safe working conditions, better pay and hours are now covered under federal regulations(OHSA, federal minimum wage laws). The unions know this and that is why they have left their original legacy and turned to politics in the form of pac and super lobbies to uphold their bloated bureaucracy. A bit like the military now. The number of people on the tip of the spear(infantryman, sailors, flyers/workers) are in the minority to officers/union bosses, lobbyists.

Obamacare was passed after haggling, kicking and screaming, and NO input from Republicans other than their objections. Americans did NOT want it then, and many still do not want it.

There was and is no bipartisan consensus on Obamacare, and the beat goes on, as the religious liberties of pro-life Americans are stomped on in the name of mandatory insurance coverage for contraception for those who have moral objections to abortifacient drugs. Give me a break!

Dale: Republicans were offered the opportunity and chose not to, thinking they could stop it cold. They were incorrect and the most recent election illustrated that. This isn't about us having different political philosophies (we do, which is just fine) but about what actually took place.

I am very anti-union. That said, I am also opposed to the "Right to Work" bill. Yes, I have a right to work. When I look for a job, if it requires to be in a union, I don't even apply. That's how I exercise my "Right to Work." It seems wrong when the majority of employees vote to be in the union to represent them, but then those same employees can opt to not pay dues and will still be represented by the union. If you don't want to be represented by a union, get a non-union job.

Using this same method of "reasoning," as this bill, I shouldn't have to pay taxes for the next 4 years, but still expect to use the schools, highways, police & fire protection. 'Cause I sure don't want Obama representing me!

Nancy Pelosi----- We have to pass the bill so that we can see what is in it.... Nuff Said

Visit any of the southern "Right-to-Work" states and you'll find that most of them are awful places to live. Their quality of life is far below most unionized states. Yes, those that argue that R2W brings jobs to a state are correct- but they are low-wage jobs and do not foster a healthy living environment that make people want to move to the state. My theory on why the south has such a great obesity crisis? Because they can only afford fast food. The governor said he wanted to "reinvent" Michigan but I don't know where the hell he's drawing his blueprints from because R2W is going to ruin our state. Come 2014 we ought to can the Nerd.

Snyder is very weak as a Governor. He claims to be a Republican, yet he's blocking bills for gun owners, and gun rights. Why? Because the Michigan State Police are "telling" him to! Why is he taking orders from them. He should be telling them what to do. Lets not even talk about his tax increases. Pathetic leadership!

J.B.

And if Snyder has his way, you'll be staffing your plants with imported immigrants at minimum wage, and zero benefits, rather than jobless citizens of Michigan.

I am very disturbed by the process that unfolded this week. Many people who did not vote for Prop 2 didn't because they were uncomfortable with changing the Constitution COMBINED with an assurance from Governor Snyder that they didn't need to; he said he would work with the unions. To say many people -- wherever they stand on the idea of Right to Work -- feel deceived by him is a gross understatement. I don't give a rip about what happened during the vote on health care. We're talking about the process of legislating in Michigan in the here and now and a Governor who seemed to deliberately mislead voters. I'm all for the need for our unions to evolve, but what happened this week was just wrong and very sad. I am deeply disappointed in our Governor and our GOP. Deeply. They have guaranteed a caustic, divisive tone in Lansing in the New Year and it's disappointing.

It’s natural that liberals would long for bi-partisan days with moderate Republicans like Milliken. Conservatism has worked everywhere it has been tried. Rust belt states like Michigan have lost jobs to Right-to-Work states like Texas. From the Great Depression to the early 1980s recession to the Obama Administration-prolonged Great Recession of 2008, workers migrate to where the work is.

This is a freedom issue. Freedom to associate or not to associate with a union. Public sector union membership has steadily declined over the years as workers have decided not to join unions. It’s a free country, folks, last I checked. Workers are free to leave their jobs and find better ones.

The private sector is forced to compete in the marketplace to sell products, while public sector employees and “non-profits” like Planned Parenthood use tax money to lobby for more tax money from parents for education, etc. As jobs have been lost in high cost states, workers have migrated to lower cost states, where there is more economic growth.

This so-called War on Middle Class Families is really a war on the Union Leadership that the hard-working families support with their union dues. Enough of the class warfare; let’s focus on real private sector economic growth policies, not government growth policies.

Public sector union membership has increased, as teachers and other government workers fight to keep their right to organize. States like Wisconsin have survived bitter fights against conservative governors who try to limit their power. As their policies have taken effect, the voters kept Governor Walker by a larger margin than he won by in the first place. Let’s hope Michigan learns from Wisconsin’s recent troubles and its own past decades of suffering and has a more civil transition to a new era of growth. It looks like Michigan may only have a week of loud protests instead of the months suffered by Wisconsin.

http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/public-sector-unions-the-next-budget-challenge

Everywhere they have been tried, conservative policies work for growing the private sector. Socialist Big Government policies result in growth too: public sector growth. It would be nice if we had an unlimited deep pocket – but we do not. We are overspending by 40% and are on a fast track toward Greece unless we solve our overspending problem.

Meanwhile our leaders in Washington play chicken with the fiscal cliff, establishment Republicans compromise and kick conservatives off committees as President Obama plays chicken with our country’s future, ready to blame Republicans if things go wrong, which they certainly will if we go off the cliff. While Obama points his finger at conservatives for obstructing “progress”, three are pointing back at himself.

Yes, the governor said RTW was not on his agenda since there were other pressing issues that held a higher priority. He did not actively campaign to develope the legislation. The House and Senate took it upon themselves to create the bill and Snyder said he would sign it. What I haven't read, is that the unions must now have to sell themselves to the workers and prove their worth. That is something the unions are not accustomed to doing since they have a captive membership. Suddenly, the membership has the ability to choose their representation. Are the unions worried about having to become more transparent?

As important as economic issues are (liberty), they pale in importance compared to the great moral issue of our day: the sanctity of human life. If one has no life, there is no liberty nor pursuit of happiness. My views on this are based on science: when egg meets sperm there is new DNA, division of cells and soon a new heartbeat.

This is not a central issue for many voters and some hold the opposing view. America is supposed to have freedom for all views, however. At the 2012 convention the Democratic party platform was strengthened from making abortion “safe, legal and rare” to having abortions and abortifacient drugs (the Plan B morning after pill) be available ALL women, regardless of their ability to pay (tax funded abortions)?

Meanwhile, principled pro-life candidates like Paul Ryan are treated with derision by fellow Catholics:

http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/joe-the-scoffer-vs-paul-the-planner

If Americans do not keep the freedom of conscience, what do we have left of our common social fabric?

http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/freedom-of-conscience-the-foundational-freedom

Big-city mayors try to block legitimate businesses from locating in their cities because “they don’t meet community values.”

http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/chicago-and-boston-mayors-attack-chick-fil-a

Sorry, Dick, but my values are being assaulted, and I will not be quiet about it. I will continue to speak for those who cannot speak. When was the last time anyone was forced to go to church in this country?

It makes my stomach turn to hear people maligned on talk radio as trying to block Obamacare for religious reasons. Those people have no right to disrespect the sincerely held beliefs of others. There are pro-lifers of evangelical, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, agnostic and atheist religious faiths.

Revenge of the Nerd? Yes, indeed. Get behind these lame duck initiatives and hope that the damaged unions will not be able to help unseat you in 2014. Let's make that Cowardly Revenge of the Nerd.

To help people understand the questions at hand, consider this:

A “right to work” law stops employers and employees from negotiating an agreement with a union security clause - it requires all workers who receive the benefits of a collective bargaining agreement to pay their share of the costs of representing them.

#Right2Work4Less laws say that unions must represent every eligible employee, whether he or she pays dues or not. In other words, these laws allow workers to pay nothing and still get all the benefits of union membership.

If a worker who is represented by a union and doesn’t pay dues is fired illegally, the union must use its time and money to defend him or her, even if that requires going through a costly, time-consuming legal process.

Amazingly, nonmembers who are represented by a union can even sue the union is they think it has not represented them well enough!

That is part of the reason why the GOP did not allow any public debate on the legislation it intends to pass! And with Devos and the Koch's behind the lying ad campaigns, you know it is an attack by plutocrats on the rest of us.

Most interesting to read the variety of responses to my orginal blog. To be sure I expected some response but certainly not the amount I got. Some were very well thought out - on both sides of the issues raised ponts deserving of consideration by all. Others though either missed the mark by begining from a flawed premis or misunderstanding the intent of my comments. I leave the reader to determine that for themselves. Some though went off on an irrelevant (to the blog) tangent. Points that may be well taken in another context but not not this one. With all due respect to Dale, for example, the disdain shown toward Paul Ryan or the so called fiscal cliff are interesting and worthy of discussion but not germain to my subject.
As for the issue of Gov. Snyder and RTW I would refer you to the editorial in the Sunday Free Press lambasting Snyder and his position.
I do stand on my position that the rights of a woman to make a decision on abortion or contraception should be her's and should follow the dicates and beliefs of her heart and not mandated by a law based on the religious views of any organization. That view is I believe Constutionally unassailable.

The poor infrastructure in the South is due to RTW? LMAO. They havent had an infrastructure since Sherman marched through.

Here is the key reason this should be stopped. Not the only reason, but the most important :
"This is the piece of the Right to Work legislation that you SHOULD be concerned about. "Republicans also put a $1,000,000 appropriation into their bills that prevents a citizen referendum on the new law once it’s passed. So, not only did Michiganders not have any input into the process before the Republicans steamrolled it through, there will be no input afterwards either."

http://www.eclectablog.com/2012/12/michigan-when-plutocrats-rule.html

What is wrong with having a choice? That is the reason why this legislation should NOT be stopped.

from: http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/18017
"The argument maintains that “nobody is forced to be in a union,” which is technically true, but a distinction without a difference — employees who work for the government or a unionized private company don't have to belong to the union; they just have to pay the “association fees.” Association fees, or agency fees, vary, but can represent up to 90 percent of the dues of full union members.

This is established by U.S. Supreme Court case Communication Workers v. Beck, which held that an employee can opt out of the political portion of union dues. That is, employees should not have to be forced to pay for union lobbying or political work. Unfortunately, the types of activities workers can opt out of are very small. Even if workers resign their union membership because they do not want to pay for union politics they still must pay for things like “internal communications,” attempts to persuade members to vote a certain way, food for workers rallying outside the capitol and get-out-the-vote drives aimed only at the union’s members. These expenses can be much higher and are harder to track."

As to the point of the blog...about open and transparent government... I agree. The public has the right to be informed/participate BEFORE votes are taken. Unfortunately, there are examples throughout government at all levels...including local municipal gov. where the leadership does what they want, when they want. I think they do it because the public is often unaware of upcoming agendas/legislation/decisions or simply seeming not interested in politics. Therefore the leadership feels they have the green light to do whatever.

Union dues are like insurance. Many pay a small chunk to spread the risk. Other than contracts, you may never need the union. But I would rather pay a small "insurance" premium to know I will be covered. If you choose not to pay dues, you choose not to be covered and you should have to pay out of pocket. Its kind of like deciding if you want to pay for collision on an older car. Hopefully I will never need it, but if I do it will lessen my costs. If I choose not to pay for collision coverage someone else shouldn't have to pay for my car repairs. I made the decision now I live with it. Thats my idea ot RTW.