Proposed Rule Would Require Small Business to Have a Union to Get a Required License
An attempt by big labor unions and the Whitmer administration to mandate businesses have a union agreement as a requirement to obtain a state license to be in the marijuana business has been defeated. After immense pressure from NFIB and other groups, the requirement was removed from the final rules submitted to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. While NFIB has taken no position on the issue of marijuana legalization or use, it was clear that if a state agency could require the employees of a specific company in a specific industry to be union members in order to receive a license to conduct business in the state, then they could impose the same requirement on any trade or business that requires a license from the state to operate. Michigan currently requires licenses to operate for many different types of businesses and occupations. The precedent that could have been established in the marijuana licensing rules could have also spurred new proposals to require forced unionization before issuing licenses for any type of business in Michigan.
