LANSING -- It was chilly this morning as an estimated 10,000-plus -- pipefitters and plumbers, firefighters and teachers, union leaders and activists -- converged on the Capitol, many angry and agitated and carrying signs.
But the protesting, the shouting, the screaming and the chants -- “Kill the Bill,” just to name a few -- failed to stop Republican lawmakers from passing right-to-work legislation and from Snyder signing the bills into law late in the day.
The state House approved House Bill 4003, 58-51, establishing a right-to-work law for public sector unions, according to the Detroit News. A second bill, Senate Bill 116, which applies to private sector unions, was approved more than an hour later, 58-52. Late in the day, Snyder announced that he had signed the bills into law.
Even as the sun came through late this morning, it was a very dark day for labor, not only in Michigan, but beyond. The idea of such a law taking hold in a state so rich in labor history seemed unthinkable not so long ago. If it could happen in Michigan...well, it wasn’t unfair to ask, where next?
For Republicans, it was a new day, a time to celebrate, a time to show that the party still had some juice after a poor showing on the national stage in November.
“Today is a game changer for Michigan, for its workers for its future,” said House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshal, according to the Freep.
Republicans insisted the legislation would lure more jobs to the state and give workers a choice. Democrats, including President Obama, see it as nothing more than politics, something that will reduce wages, give workers less rights and undermine labor’s political prowess.
For labor leaders and Democratic politicians outside the Capitol, it was a time to remind the crowd that the fight had just begun.
Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa told the crowd that Snyder had taken money from the Koch brothers and Karl Rove, so he sold out. But he reminded the crowd that Michigan was not for sale
“They want a fight, we'll give'em a fight,” he said. “We’re going to kick their ass and we’re going to win this battle here. We're just beginning this battle. We're in the first round of a long fight. We’re going to do petitions, it’s getting on the ballot, we’re going to get rid of right-to -work forever."
Rev. Jesse Jackson weighed in, offering a historical perspective on the struggle for the labor supporters.
"The governors in Alabama, in Mississippi, in Georgia, could not determine our destiny, " Jackson said."The governor in Michigan will not determine our destiny."
Others reminded the crowd that it was time to make Snyder a one-term governor and make sure others responsible are not re-elected. Inside the Capitol, some protestors chanted “One term nerd,” according to the Free Press.
Outside, they chanted "This is our House" and "Hey Hey, ho ho, right to work has got to go."
The day was not without incident. The Free Press reported that state police in riot gear showed up at some point, and three people were arrested, two of them for trying to force their way into the Romney building. Another grabbed a trooper and tried to pull her into a crowd while police were trying to keep people away from the Capitol building.
President Barack Obama was a vocal critic in Michigan Monday of the legislation that is praised by business leaders hoping to change the state's national image as a union stronghold.
Obama used a visit Monday to tout a $120 million investment at Detroit Diesel in Redford Township to rail against right to work, saying the legislation is about politics and not economics.
"What we shouldn't be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions," Obama told the crowd of about 1,600 on the Detroit Diesel shop floor Monday afternoon.
"What they're really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money."
