December 7, 2012
LANSING, Mich. ? Republicans slammed "right-to-work" legislation through the Michigan House and Senate on Thursday, drawing raucous protests from stunned union supporters whose outnumbered Democratic allies were powerless to stop it.
The measures, which prohibit private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay fees, were approved by both chambers hours after the legislation's introduction. The Senate also voted to impose the requirement on most public unions. A House vote on public-sector unions was expected later.
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 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 actions drew raucous protests from hundreds of union supporters, some of whom were pepper-sprayed by police when they tried to storm the Senate chamber.
Democrats denounced the bills as an attack on worker rights, but the GOP sponsor insisted they would boost the economy and jobs.
Final legislative action could take place as early as Tuesday.
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who had said repeatedly that right-to-work was "not on my agenda," told reporters Thursday that he would sign the measures. His about-face came a month after voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have barred right-to-work legislation under the state constitution.
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