GOP, Koch Brothers Sneak Attack Guts Labor Rights in Michigan

[Faygo Kid]

by John Nichols
The Nation

In the state where workers sat down in Flint General Motors plants 75 years ago and emboldened the industrial labor movement that would give birth to the American middle class, Republican legislators in a matter of hours gutted basic labor rights Thursday.

After announcing Thursday morning that they intended to enact so-called “Right-to-Work” legislation – which would be better names “No-Rights-at-Work” legislation – the Michigan state House voted Thursday afternoon to remove basic labor organizing and workplace protections that generations of American workers fought to establish. And the Michigan state Senate was rushing to do the the same Thursday evening, as part of a bold anti-labor move launched in coordination with a Koch Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity project to “pave the way for right to work in states across our nation."

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, has indicated that he will sign the measure after its passage by a lamd-duck legislature.

Employing slick messaging and a timeline developed to thwart opposition, Snyder and his legislative allies claimed that they were enacting anti-labor legislation to create “Freedom to Choose” in the workplace. But the Orwellian turn of phrase did not fool the working people of Michigan, thousands of whom surrounded and occupied the Capitol during a day of emotional protest. “Right to work would set all Michigan workers back in terms of wages, benefits and safety on the job,” declared Mike Polkki, a mine worker from Ishpeming who joined furious last-minute efforts to lobby members of the Republican-controlled legislative chambers. “Instead of attacking the middle class, our lawmakers should work to build it back up.” . . .


http://www.thenation.com/blog/171641/gop-koch-brothers-sneak-attack-guts-labor-rights-michigan#

Great column. Heartbroken here.

[MichiganVote]

1. GOP=We don't heart American Workers especially in Michigan

Bullshitters, that's what they are. Lying sacks of shit. But then, we knew that.

[mindem]

2. Just another thing on the GOP hate list.

When it comes right down to it, repukes really do hate anyone who actually "works" for a living. The american worker is nothing more than an expense on their masters balance sheet.

[EC]

3. And I'll bet Walker is next.

After he won the recall, many of the local dems wrote into the local papers VOP that they voted to let him stay but if he ever thought about bringing up RTW he'd be out in the next election...but I'll bet that's what's next...

[King_Klonopin]

4. "Right to Work"

Last edited Fri Dec 7, 2012, 04:26 AM - Edit history (1)

That phrase must be another perverse creation of Frank Luntz.

The reality:

The Right to work ... for poverty-level wages.
The Right to be fired summarily and without any recourse.
The Right to work without any benefits.
The Right to have shitty insurance, or none at all.
The Right to have no voice at the bargaining table.
The Right to work as legally-sanctioned scabs.
The Right to undermine what is left of a battered labor movement.
The Right to benefit from the blood, sweat and tears of others.
The Right to change the labor force of America into nothing more than Wal-Mart peons.
The Right to be used as dupes and pawns in the real "class war".

These "laws" are designed to destroy unions and strip the working-class of any power --
they are one piece in the conservative social engineering plan which creates their ideal 47%.

1) They aim to create a poorly educated work force with limited resources to attain
higher education.

2) They aim to convince workers to be constantly fearful of losing their jobs, using any
means available (the economy, the debt, the threat of outsourcing or downsizing, etc.)

3) They aim to pit worker against fellow worker, and to displace any resentments
workers may have for management/ownership to labor unions. Rather than admiring
union workers for their gains and benefits, union members are held in derision.

4) They aim to foster this false sense of desperation in order to manipulate workers to
accept the crumbs of low wages and staying stuck in a cycle of poverty.

5) They erode our touted "high standard of living" and "The American Dream" in order
to fill the pockets of the profiteers with more money (i.e. transfer wealth from the
bottom to the very top.) while paying lip service to the middle-class.

6) They aim to eliminate all worker protections -- OSHA, NLRB, EPA, Family Leave Act,
the minimum wage, "Obamacare", and COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

It's not about paying union dues; it's about power and greed.

[awoke_in_2003]

5. +10000...

This shit in Michigan, the bastion of labor, worries me. One day my grandkids will have to fight the same battles as my grandparents.

[Stuart G]

6. K and R nt. thanks for posting

[The Stranger]

7. Shame on us for letting this happen.