Barely one week ago, the unthinkable was merely a rumor. However, yesterday, the unthinkable happened as Michigan became the 24th state in the nation to enact Right-to-Work legislation, giving workers the choice on whether to pay a union in their unionized workplaces or not. No longer will unions be able to have Michigan workers fired for refusing to pay union dues or fees.

To be sure, unions are not taking the assault on their financial coffers lying down.

As a result of Tuesday’s impending legislation, unions occupied Michigan’s state capitol on Tuesday, assaulting Steven Crowder who was standing near Americans for Prosperity’s pro-Right-to-Work tent before a union mob tore the tent down.

Here is footage shot from inside the tent as union protesters tore the tent down with people still inside:

While 82% of Michiganders are union free, as a sign of union displeasure, Teamsters boss Hoffa predicted that Michigan would now be torn apart in a “civil war” as union-bought Democrat Douglas Geiss predicted “there will be blood.”

Although unsuccessful, Barack Obama weighed into the Michigan fight on Monday–picking up the false union talking points as he bashed Right-to-Work laws to UAW workers at a Detroit plant.

“I’ve just got to say this,” Obama said at the Daimler Detroit Diesel plant in Michigan before a small crowd of workers. “What we shouldn’t be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. We shouldn’t be doing that.

“You know, these so-called right-to-work laws, they don’t have to do with economics, they have everything to do with politics,” Obama added to applause and cheers from the crowd. “What they’re really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money.”

To be clear: Right-to-Work legislation does not impede a union’s right to bargain for anything.

What Right-to-Work legislation does do, however, is strip unions of the ability to have workers fired through so-called “Union (income) Security” clauses if they refuse to pay union dues.

Prior to his re-election, Obama refused to weigh into state issues such as Michigan’s Right-to-Work fight.

During the union siege on Wisconsin over Scott Walker’s collective bargaining reform, Obama was MIA.

During Ohio’s attempt to reform its collective bargaining laws, Obama was similarly silent.

Earlier this year, when Indiana became the nation’s 23rd Right-to-Work state, not a word was uttered by Obama.

Why?

Very simply, because Obama and his campaign needed to woo workers in Right-to-Work states like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia in order to ensure his re-election.

Obama & Co. knew that Obama’s expressing opposition to Right-to-Work laws like that expressed on Monday would hinder his chances of winning Right-to-Work states on November 6th.

Now, with no elections to win in the future, Obama is unrestrained in showing just how far he may go working to appease his union bosses–and we should expect more of the same in the future.

As union bosses are now exploring their options to overturn Michigan’s new law, including by possible lawsuit, Michigan finally has a chance of shedding its well-deserved reputation of being a union-controlled bastion of job destruction.

Only time will tell if Michigan can overcome the union assaults that are sure to come.
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“Truth isn’t mean. It’s truth.”
Andrew Breitbart (1969-2012)

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