Update: The Michigan House has passed the ‘right-to-work’ law.
Labor activists in Michigan may face a historic defeat this week against a “right-to-work” bill that lawmakers have reconvened over today, and which Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has pledged to sign.
Right-to-work laws prevent workers from being required to join a union or pay fees, thereby largely undermining union funds and political power. President Obama condemned the bill before several hundred UAW workers at a Detroit diesel engine plant on Monday.
If the bill goes through, Michigan, a stronghold of union support, will become the 24th state to sign right-to-work legislation into law.
Bob King is the president of the United Auto Workers.