LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Legislature has sent legislation regarding a repeal of the Right-To-Work law and a restoration of the prevailing wage gap to Governor Gretchen Whitmer after voting on Tuesday.
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The Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 20-16, while the House of Representatives passed the legislation in a vote 56-52. Since instituting the Right-To-Work law over a decade ago, and repealing the prevailing wages for state construction projects in 2018, it has been a priority for Democrats to change the policies.
Some of the supporters of the right-to-work repeal were in favor because they did not think that it would hurt the state’s economy, including Representative Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park)
“To me, it’s not a choice,” Representative Weiss said. “You don’t have to choose to support business and then also choose to screw over workers. You can support business, you can support workers at the same time.”
Others like Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck) argued the legislation restoring prevailing wage for state contracts would pay living wages, and “pays the workers what they’re worth.”
“We are trying to ensure that people in the state of Michigan can afford to live in this state,” Representative Aiyash said.
Representative Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) rose against the bill because of the “fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayer,” and not the unions.
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“We as the fiduciary for the taxpayers have no obligation to the vendors, to the suppliers, to the contractors, except for what we agreed to pay them; not a penny more,” Representative DeBoyer said, “Government contracts should not be a get rich quick scheme, they certainly shouldn’t be something to swell the pockets of a campaign supporter.”
Some also opposed the method of the vote as members of the legislature had tested positive for COVID-19, but were present despite Speaker Joe Tate’s (D-Detroit) COVID-19 policy.
“Democrat leadership and their union boss friends even brought a COVID-positive legislator to session just to rush through their radical repeal of right-to-work and insulate it from the people’s right to block bad laws via referendum,” House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said in a statement. “Democrats recklessly disregard the health and safety of legislators, staff, and guests: Will they stop at nothing to ram through their radical agenda?”
The right-to-work law which was passed under former Gov. Rick Snyder a decade previously, barred labor contracts from requiring workers to become union members or pay the union a fee as a condition of employment.
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