Unions Win As Michigan Repeals "Right-to-Work" Law

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday (Saturday, Mar. 25, 2023, in Manila) signed a package of bills repealing the state's so-called "right to work" law that allowed workers to opt out of unions, a long-sought victory for labor organizers facing an era of diminished power, Dan Whitcomb reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Whitmer became the first governor since the 1960s to roll back right-to-work legislation.

Whitmer became the first governor since the 1960s to roll back right-to-work legislation. Twenty-six other US states and the territory of Guam still have right-to-work laws on the books, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"Michigan workers are the most talented and hard-working in the world and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect," Whitmer, a two-term Democrat, said in a statement.

Michigan House Bills 4004 and 4007 and Senate Bill 34 passed the Democratic-controlled state legislature earlier this month. House Bill 4007 requires that contractors hired by the state pay a so-called prevailing wage, the amount used when hiring union workers.

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