A new skirmish is developing on Michigan's right-to-work battleground, as Chad Livengood describes in The Detroit News.
House Republicans set off a new right-to-work fight Tuesday, proposing to slash state funding for public universities, community colleges and school districts that ratify union contracts circumventing Michigan's new labor law.
Many GOP lawmakers object to new college or school district contracts, or extensions that range from five to 10 years, meaning union members couldn't opt out of paying dues when the right-to-work law takes effect March 28.
Two major universities are among the targets.
Wayne State University and the University of Michigan could lose $27.4 million and $47.1 million, respectively, under a budget plan a House panel approved Tuesday. The proposal cuts the schools' state funding by 15 percent if they sign long-term labor contracts before right to work goes into effect. . . .
Eastern Michigan University also could lose 15 percent of its state funding, or $9.9 million, after ratifying earlier this year a new contract with its lecturers.
Macomb Community College also could be affected as well. Trustees voted 6-2 Tuesday to approve four union contracts that range from three to five years, the article says. And the Taylor and Warren school boards also recently approved lengthy teacher union contracts, Livengood writes.
Gov. Rick Snyder appears lukewarm about the legislation. "If people are coming in and bargaining in good faith and showing real benefits, I don't believe people should be penalized.," he tells Jonathan Oosting of MLive. "Now, the real issue would be if somebody were doing that with no substance to simply extend the date, then I could see legislators having a concern."
CBS Detroit quotes a forceful reaction from Andrew Hecker, president of the state's American Federation of Teachers union:
"Right to work is not the law in Michigan, it doesn’t take effect until next week. So because, I guess, some Republican leaders are frustrated over that and they are looking to penalize the universities, penalize the future of the state and penalize our students and that is nothing short of bullying."
