Letters: Right to work reflects GOP's cynical politics

The Muskegon Chronicle By The Muskegon Chronicle The Muskegon Chronicle
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on December 12, 2012 at 10:13 AM, updated December 12, 2012 at 10:14 AM

Our elected Republicans showed just how upset they were over Proposition 2 that they seriously took their ball and went home. The gutless way they sped through right to work legislation just goes to show that they do not have Michigan citizens’ best interest in mind.

Right to Work Michigan.JPG Thousands of protesters rally outside the state Capitol as lawmakers push final versions of right-to-work legislation in Lansing on Dec. 11, 2012.   

Right to work laws are meant to keep wages low under the guise of it being fair to workers that they should be able to enjoy the same benefits as union-dues paying employees without being forced to pay the dues themselves. Sounds good right? So when the majority of employees at this great paying job decide they can benefit from the state's right-to-work laws and not pay dues, the union will eventually be forced out.

If right to work is in fact the best thing for Michiganders, then why did the Republicans have to sweep the legislation through as quickly as they did? Why did they hide it in a million-dollar appropriations bill making it referendum-proof? Why did they feel the need to do it under a lame duck session? Under normal circumstances, committee hearings should be held so that the public are allowed to weigh in. This was not done. Why?

There isn’t any proof that right to work is good for the middle and lower class. It is good for the upper class. According to the Economic Policy Institute in its 2011 report, wages in right to work states are 3.2 percent lower than non-RTW states and employer based health insurance is 2.6 percent lower in RTW states. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in October 2012, six of the 12 states with the highest unemployment have RTW laws. North Carolina, a RTW state, has a private sector unionization rate of 1.8 percent, the lowest in the nation. It also has fifth highest unemployment rate, 9.3 percent.

It is as simple as this, Michigan Republicans are not pushing for right-to-work laws because it is in the best interest of its citizens, they are pushing them because they hold true to their personal beliefs -- which are bad economics and cynical politics.