LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered two significant victories for Michigan labor unions Friday by signing a repeal of the 2012 right-to-work law and a reinstatement of the prevailing wage standard for state-funded construction projects.
By undoing the Republican-backed right-to-work policy, Democrats, who won control of the Legislature in November, will again allow businesses and unions to reach agreements that require workers to pay union dues or fees as a condition of their employment.
Whitmer announced the signing of the three bills in a press release Friday afternoon, contending the legislation would "restore workers' rights."
"Michigan workers are the most talented and hard-working in the world and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect," Whitmer said in the statement. "These bills will protect health and safety, ensuring health care workers can put patient care ahead of profit, construction workers can speak up when there's a safety issue and employees can call attention to food safety threats and other problems.
"Let's continue delivering for working people and ensuring Michigan is open for business."
Republicans have criticized the three bills, saying they will make the state less competitive for economic development projects while limiting workers' abilities to choose whether they join a union. Repealing right to work will compel workers "to pay their dues or lose their jobs," Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said earlier this month.
"In addition to being a disgraceful denial of individual freedom and self-determination, this action will effectively put a 'closed for business' sign on the state by drying up economic development opportunities, driving out businesses, weakening our communities, and endangering the stability of Michigan families," Nesbitt said.
Then-Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, signed the right-to-work law in December 2012 after thousands of protesters gathered in Lansing to demonstrate against the measure. At the time, Whitmer was the minority leader of the state Senate.
Whitmer announced plans to repeal the law when she first ran for governor in 2018. In November, Whitmer won a second term in the state's top office, and Democrats scored majorities in the House and the Senate for the first time in 40 years, giving her a chance to make her plans a reality.
Similarly, in 2018, Republicans repealed the prevailing wage standard, dropping a requirement that guaranteed union-scale wages and benefits on public projects, such as road and school construction.
GOP lawmakers have said the standard unfairly inflated construction costs for taxpayers. Democrats and labor leaders, including Tom Lutz, executive secretary-treasurer of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, have said the policy ensured workers were compensated fairly and led to higher quality construction.
"Today Gov. Whitmer and the Democratic majorities of the House and Senate delivered two incredible wins for working people across Michigan," Lutz said.
