Michigan House Attacks Workers In the Dead of Night

December 8, 2016

Republicans in the Michigan House of Representatives passed a pair of anti-union bills this week that make it harder for workers and unions to picket and easier for employers to hire workers to permanently replace striking employees.
One bill would increase fines against picketers to $1,000 per person per day of a picket and $10,000 per day for an organization or union involved in the picket that is deemed to be an illegal mass picket. That bill passed on a mostly party-line vote of 57-50.
The other would repeal a law that requires employers to include information about an ongoing strike when they advertise to hire employees who will replace existing, but striking employees at a company. That bill passed on a vote of 59-48 on a mostly party line vote.  Democrats said the bill is an attack on the right to peacefully protest and would allow companies to file complaints about picketers without showing any actual harm was done to their business.
 
These bills are also now in the hands of the Senate for their approval before being sent to Gov. Rick Snyder to sign into law.