Opinion: Right-to-work isn't working for Michigan

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Steven Greenhouse
November 19, 2022

Michigan Democrats scored historic victories in the midterm elections, taking control of the state House, Senate, and the governor’s mansion for the first time since 1983. The wins were thanks, at least in part, to the Democrats’ pro-worker, pro-jobs agenda.

Now it’s time for Democrats to show that their pro-worker agenda isn’t just talk. One good way to do that would be for the legislature, as a first order of business, to repeal Michigan’s decade-old right-to-work law. By getting rid of a law that weakened Michigan’s labor unions, Democratic lawmakers would make a powerful statement that they are ready and eager to help workers win higher wages and better benefits.

Residents of Michigan should welcome such a repeal because right-to-work laws hurt workers. According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, workers’ wages in right-to-work states are 3.1 percent lower than in non-right-to-work states, after adjusting for differences in the cost of living. Put another way: a worker’s wages are, on average, some $1,600 lower per year.

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Many supporters of right-to-work laws insist that they’re not being anti-union – they insist it’s all about helping workers by giving them the freedom to stop paying union dues. It’s odd, however, that these right-to-work supporters who say they’re eager to help workers are rarely or ever seen doing anything else to help workers. They typically oppose raising the minimum wage; they oppose legislation to give workers paid sick days and paid parental leave; they oppose strengthening regulations to improve job safety. It seems that the only time these lawmakers want to help workers is when it weakens unions.

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