South Kent News

Michigan state workers have been given greater freedom of choice where labor unions are concerned.

The Civil Service Commission voted on a revision that will require unions to gain approval from members whether to rejoin annually before it can charge dues. The Commission’s vote follows up on a U.S. Supreme Court case, which decided that public employers need "clear and compelling" evidence of a member’s intention to be in the union, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy blog reported.

The action, while beneficial to state workers, has drawn the ire of both unions and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer described the vote as a "direct assault on our hardworking state employees" and says it takes "power away from our health care workers, road repair workers, corrections officers and unemployment call center employees," according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

In fact, after the state’s Right to Work law went into effect in 2013, union membership has declined by 5,000, as thousands have been added to the state’s workforce.

Despite the decline, the union boasts robust numbers of the state employees in its fold. The Detroit Free Press reported that of the state’s 48,000 employees, 70% belong to a union. About 25,00 of those employees will now have rejoin the union each year to have fees deducted from their paychecks.

The unions consider this to be overreach and argue that employees already had the right to opt out of dues, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy reported. It noted that unions see the move as an "an unconstitutional hurdle" and referenced the state’s Right to Work law on the workers’ ability to join or leave a union at a time of their choosing.

The new revision will go into effect on Sunday, Oct. 4. The Detroit Free Press also reported that in 2022, the state will discontinue "agency" fees, which are paid by workers who have chosen not to join a union. The unions uses the fees to cover collective bargaining costs.