Unions to rally in Lansing over GOP proposals Feb 22, 2011 | 35 Comments
LANSING — A top Michigan union official said Monday that Republicans in the Legislature want to strip Michigan unions of their bargaining rights, just as Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker has threatened to do.
Mark Gaffney, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO, said that as many as 400 union workers would come to the Capitol today to lobby against bills that he said would undermine unions, such as by allowing emergency financial managers to terminate union contracts in cities and school districts.
He also criticized bills to repeal binding arbitration for police and fire fighters, and to repeal Michigan’s prevailing wage law that requires union-scale pay for all public construction projects.
Gaffney said that although GOP Gov. Rick Snyder pledged to negotiate concessions with employee unions, “right-wing, ideological” Republicans want to hammer unions’ ability to negotiate.
“What we’re seeing out of the Republican-led Legislature, in some cases, is the same assault on union workers that is being done in Wisconsin,” said Gaffney, who was joined by American Federation of Teachers Michigan President David Hecker.
He especially cited bills to give emergency financial managers more sweeping powers over insolvent cities and school districts. Under those bills, emergency managers appointed by the governor could terminate employee union contracts and dissolve councils and school boards.
Matt Marsden, spokesman for Senate Republicans, said there is “no secret plan to undermine unions.” He said the emergency financial management legislation aims to ensure jobs for employees of financially distressed communities.
“Bankrupt municipalities can’t employ anyone, and I would think that is what Mr. Gaffney would support: keeping people in their jobs,” Marsden said.
Ari Adler, spokesman for House Republicans, said the legislation addresses the reality of a hard-hit economy and falling tax revenues.
Hecker said employee unions have been problem solvers for cities and schools when it comes to reducing costs and giving concessions.
“People are very, very realistic to what’s going on,” he said
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