Michigan GOP approves right to work amid protests
Brett Brown or Owosso, Mich., chants as Pro-union demonstrators crowd the Rotunda in Lansing, Mich., to chant Wednesday afternoon Dec. 5, 2012, in the Capitol after House and Senate Democrats said there was a possibility of "Right To Work" legislation coming up for a vote. Eight people were arrested in similar protests in the Capitol on Thursday. / AP Photo/Detroit News/Dale Young
Updated 9:21 PM ET
LANSING, Mich. Republicans slammed right-to-work legislation through the Michigan House and Senate Thursday, drawing raucous protests from throngs of stunned union supporters, whose outnumbered Democratic allies were powerless to stop it.
Just hours after they were introduced, both chambers approved measures prohibiting private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay fees. The Senate quickly followed by voting to impose the same requirement on most public unions.
Although rumors had circulated for weeks that right-to-work measures might surface during the session's waning days, the speed with which the GOP-dominated Legislature acted Thursday caught many onlookers by surprise. Details of the bills weren't made publicly available until they were read aloud on both floors as debate began.
The chaos drew raucous protests from hundreds of union supporters, some of whom were pepper-sprayed by police when they tried to storm the Senate chamber.
Because of rules requiring a five-day delay between votes in the two chambers on the same legislation, final enactment appears unlikely until next week. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who previously had said repeatedly that right-to-work was "not on my agenda," told reporters Thursday he would sign the measures.
A victory in Michigan would give the right-to-work movement its strongest foothold yet in the Rust Belt region, where organized labor already has suffered several body blows. Republicans in Indiana and Wisconsin recently pushed through legislation curbing union rights, sparking massive protests.
Democrats denounced the bills as an attack on worker rights, but the GOP sponsor insisted they would boost the economy and jobs. A House vote on public-sector unions was expected to come later.
Even before the Michigan bills surfaced, protesters streamed inside the Capitol preparing for what appeared inevitable after Snyder, House Speaker Jase Bolger and Senate Minority Leader Randy Richardville announced at a news conference they were putting the issue on a fast track.
"This is all about taking care of the hard-working workers in Michigan, being pro-worker and giving them freedom to make choices," Snyder said.
"The goal isn't to divide Michigan, it is to bring Michigan together," Snyder said.
But Democrats said the legislation — and Republicans' tactics — would poison the state's political atmosphere.
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley repeatedly gaveled for order during the Senate debate as Democrats attacked the legislation to applause from protesters in the galley. At one point, a man shouted, "Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! That's what you people are." He was quickly escorted out. Another later yelled, "We will remember in November."
Eight people were arrested for resisting and obstructing when they tried to push past two troopers guarding the Senate door, state police Inspector Gene Adamczyk said.
Protesters waved placards and chanted slogans such as "Union buster" and "Right-to-work has got to go." Adamczyk said the troopers used pepper spray after the people refused to obey orders to stop.
CBS Detroit affiliate WWJ reported that about 200 demonstrators were inside the building when police put it in "lockdown mode," meaning people already indoors were allowed to stay, but no one was allowed to enter.
The Capitol, which was temporarily closed because of safety concerns, reopened Thursday afternoon, sending hundreds of protesters streaming back inside with chants of, "Whose house? Our house!" Adamczyk said a judge ordered the building reopened.
The decision to push forward in the waning days of the Legislature's lame-duck session infuriated outnumbered Democrats, who resorted to parliamentary maneuvers to slow action but were powerless to block the bills.
House Democrats did walk out briefly Thursday in protest of the Capitol being closed.
Adamczyk estimated that about 2,500 visitors were inside the Capitol, where their shouts reverberated off stone halls and frequently could be heard inside the ornate chambers.
After repeatedly insisting during his first two years in office that right-to-work was not on his agenda, Snyder reversed course Thursday, a month after voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have barred such measures under the state constitution.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Snyder said he had kept the issue at arm's length while pursuing other programs to bolster the state economy. But he said circumstances had pushed the matter to the forefront.
"It is a divisive issue," he acknowledged. "But it was already being divisive over the past few weeks, so let's get this resolved. Let's reach a conclusion that's in the best interests of all."
Also influencing his decision, he said, were reports that some 90 companies had decided to locate in Indiana since that state adopted right-to-work legislation. "That's thousands of jobs, and we want to have that kind of success in Michigan," he said.
Snyder and the GOP leaders insisted the legislation was not meant to weaken unions or collective bargaining, saying it would make unions more responsive to their members.
Senate Democratic leader Gretchen Whitmer said she was "livid."
"These guys have lied to us all along the way," she said. "They are pushing through the most divisive legislation they could come up with in the dark of night, at the end of a lame-duck session and then they're going to hightail it out of town. It's cowardly."
Republicans have commanding majorities in both chambers — 64-46 in the House and 26-12 in the Senate. Under their rules, only a simple majority of members elected and serving must be present to have a quorum and conduct business. For that reason, Democrats acknowledged that boycotting sessions and going into hiding, as some lawmakers in neighboring Indiana and Wisconsin have done in recent years to stall legislation unpopular with unions, would be futile in Michigan.
Throngs of protesters spent weeks outside capitol buildings in those states, clashing over union rights.
"We will not have another Wisconsin in Michigan," Adamczyk said. "People are allowed to protest, but they need to do in a peaceful manner."
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Congratulations, Michigan is no longer a place for working families.
Steve Kroft: What do you think of American workers?
Marchionne: I think the world of American workers. What happened here at Chrysler would have been impossible without the commitment that they've shown. Absolutely impossible.
Steve Kroft: Were they on the management fast track?
Sergio Marchionne: No. Some of these people were buried inside an incredibly hierarchical organization that, you know, all pointed to the top. This place was run by a chairman's office.
...
Sergio Marchionne: That's the Tower, right?
Steve Kroft: Uh-huh (affirm).
Sergio Marchionne: And the chairman's office is the top floor. It's empty now. We use it as a tourist trap. We bring people up there.
Steve Kroft: Why did you leave?
Sergio Marchionne: Because nothing happens there.
Steve Kroft: Republicans said that this was a campaign commercial for President Obama. A payback. Did you anticipate that criticism?
Sergio Marchionne: Just to rectify the record here, I paid back the loans and 19.7 percent interest. I don't think that I committed to do a commercial on top of that. I thought that the Republicans' reactions to this was unnecessary and out of place.
Steve Kroft: That's very restrained from you-- for you.
Sergio Marchionne: It is. I'm on camera. You put me here. You turn these things off, I'll give you my own assessment.
If your kids are uneducated when they graduate you may want to look into the mirror to find the person to blame. In almost every case, kids who succeed in school have parents who are involved in their education. In almost every case where kids fail in school, they DO NOT have parents involved in their education. I'm proud to say both my kids are successful in life and were successful in school, and both my kids had my wife and I actively involved in their education. Quit trying to blame others for your failures.
I am willing to bet I make far more working for my non-union company than your husband ever made in his union job. It is so hard working here in a right to work state. Don't know how I manage not paying those union dues.
Those lucky enough to have a job in this economy should be happy with what they have. Places such as WM who want to unionize unskilled workers, can be replaced at the drop of a hat. Someone who has worked at a WM for years stocking shelves and doing nothing to better themselves shouldn't be yelling for a union. The so called benefits are terrible at places such as WM, but the work is simple. Should they be paid $15 an hour or more with full medical insurance? Sadly Medical benfits at WM is Medicaid. These jobs aren't meant to pay one to fully support themselves, not enough hours? get another unskilled part time job. The government pays for babysitters for low income mothers, so that is no excuse. A new employee can be trained to do a job in an hour or less at WM and other such places on jobs at this level. I am only using WM as an example, thousands upon thousands jobs across the country employ unskilled workers.
Those making $30-50k a year at a job such as Hostess were better off than most Americans. Teachers have a lot of nerve to want more, they should be paid less as uneducated as our children at gradutaion.
Disagree all you want, but how many on line readers are sitting home with out a job? As for myself, I am on Social Security and Medicare, I have to accept what the government choses to give me, even though I have worked 40 years paying into more than I should be receiving, conplaining will do no good. Too many forget Social Security was not set up for one to live on alone.
There are many government programs for seniors to take advantage of, get on line and look up what is available. For those able to work, get one of those partime jobs at WM. Seniors are at at the top of the list for part time jobs. Those not able to work, there are even more government sponsered programs. If a senior is unable to look into programs, ask a friend of family member. There is no excuse of doing nothing to help one's self.
Hostess was taken over by a Bain type scam ... they got exactly what they wanted.
Steve Kroft: What do you think of American workers?
Marchionne: I think the world of American workers. What happened here at Chrysler would have been impossible without the commitment that they've shown. Absolutely impossible.
Steve Kroft: Were they on the management fast track?
Sergio Marchionne: No. Some of these people were buried inside an incredibly hierarchical organization that, you know, all pointed to the top. This place was run by a chairman's office.
...
Sergio Marchionne: That's the Tower, right?
Steve Kroft: Uh-huh (affirm).
Sergio Marchionne: And the chairman's office is the top floor. It's empty now. We use it as a tourist trap. We bring people up there.
Steve Kroft: Why did you leave?
Sergio Marchionne: Because nothing happens there.
Steve Kroft: Republicans said that this was a campaign commercial for President Obama. A payback. Did you anticipate that criticism?
Sergio Marchionne: Just to rectify the record here, I paid back the loans and 19.7 percent interest. I don't think that I committed to do a commercial on top of that. I thought that the Republicans' reactions to this was unnecessary and out of place.
Steve Kroft: That's very restrained from you-- for you.
Sergio Marchionne: It is. I'm on camera. You put me here. You turn these things off, I'll give you my own assessment.