Unraveling What Happened in Michigan

CEAFU Key Leader Larry Sand sets President Obama and others straight, dispelling one of many union myths about the new Right To Work Law in Michigan.

Monopoly, or as union officials call it, “collective bargaining,” is the root of compulsory unionism, allowing as few as half of the members in a school district to determine the fate and working conditions of ALL teachers, and then charging them for this unwanted representation.

Michigan became the nation’s 24th right-to-work state. Much has been written about this and yet there still is much misinformation in circulation – mostly being spread by the unions, of course. And President Obama, an outspoken union supporter, has uttered some mistruths (if unintentional) or lies (if they are not).

What does “right-to-work (RTW)” mean? It simply means that workers don’t have to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment. Many have publicly lamented that collective bargaining in Michigan is going to be imperiled. President Obama jumped on that bandwagon saying,

What we shouldn’t be doing is try to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. We don’t want a race to the bottom. Right-to-work laws have nothing to do with economics and they have everything to do with politics. They mean you have the right to work for less money.

No, Mr. Obama, Michigan’s new law – for better or worse – will not affect any union’s right to collectively bargain.