Right-to-work legislation has passed in Michigan, despite the vociferous protests of bused-in union protesters in Lansing and sympathetic coverage from the liberal media, who have portrayed right-to-work as a blow to "union rights" as well as a "politically unnecessary" and "divisive" move by Republicans who control the state legislature and governor's mansion in a state that went strongly for Obama last month.
But there is another side of the story, which the liberal media outlets are seemingly ignoring. The Michigan-based conservative think tank called the Mackinac Center for Public Policy has not only published persuasive and thoroughly-researched reports advocating for the right-to-work policy, they are doing their best to inform the public with the facts and figures that the majority of the media refuses to acknowledge, much less verify.
For example, Mackinac has reported on how the public employees union SEIU has skimmed off the dues from its ailing and disabled clients' Medicaid subsidy checks to the tune of $33 million since 2006. The vast majority of which has been used solely for political advocacy.
Gov. Rick Snyder and his attorney general Bill Schuette tried to put a stop to it by signing a bill into law earlier this year, but the SEIU has reportedly continued to do so, according to the skimTracker. When it takes effect, the right-to-work bill will finally allow members to withdraw from the union on the grounds of its ongoing improprieties.
Mackinac has complemented these findings with human interest stories, spotlighting some of the families who have endured financial difficulty as a result of forced unionization and their subsequent excesses. The Glossops are just one example of many, but they're only one of a couple being represented by the Mackinac Center's Legal Foundation in a case against the SEIU over unfair labor practices. This is (part of) their story:
Steven Glossop moved back in with his mom Linda four years ago after she had a stroke when she was recovering from heart surgery. She needed constant care and he knew he would provide it. When he has to run errands or go to work, he arranges for someone -- often his wife -- to stay with his mother. To the Service Employees International Union, the Glossops are just another chance to make a buck [...] The Glossops, by virtue of getting Medicaid money from the state, are now members of the SEIU thanks to a unionization scheme orchestrated in 2005 when Jennifer Granholm was governor.
Liberal media outlets like MSNBC have primarily allowed opponents of the law to state their case, while giving short shrift to right-to-work supporters and their own arguments. Even as its sister network, CNBC shows that Michigan is 33rd out of 50 on the "best states for business list." By contrast, nine of the top 10 states on the list have already adopted right-to-work laws. In a sluggish economy, that speaks volumes.
