Court of Claims Deny Unions on Right to Work Challenge

Date: February 17, 2015

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit

A Michigan judge has struck down a union challenge to Michigan’s Right to Work Law, a landmark piece of legislation championed and protected by NFIB since its passage at the end of 2012 session.

Unions claimed that rights of the public to offer input on the measure were trampled when the Capitol was shut down during the bill’s debate and passage in 2012.

“Not all members of the public who wanted to have direct, in-person observation of the legislative proceedings were able to,” the judge said in her ruling. “But just as a road is open to public travel even though its capacity is finite, a meeting may be open to the public even where physical access to all members of the public is not available.”

Right to Work laws protect small business owners and other employers from unions who require membership as a condition of employment.

The Civil Service Commission claims that state employees are not covered by the law and many labor unions renegotiated contracts as far out as possible before the law’s effective date, said NFIB/Michigan State Director Charles Owens.

“These actions, and others, mean that NFIB, the NFIB Small Business Legal Foundation and labor freedom advocates will be working to ensure that Michigan’s Right to Work law is implemented as intended,” Owens said.

Implementing Michigan’s Right to Work law is among NFIB Michigan’s 2015 Main Street Agenda items.

Question: As a small business owner, what do you think of the state’s Right to Work Law? Please tell us in the comments section below.

Related Content: Small Business News | Labor | Michigan

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