Before heading off for a European trade mission, Gov. Rick Snyder put his signature on a bill that bans school districts from automatically deducting union dues from employee paychecks.
It’s a punitive piece of legislation, but one the teacher unions had coming.
Unions are using their members’ dues to wage war on the reforms Snyder and the Republican legislature have enacted. This bill stems from the recall of former House Education Chair Rep. Paul Scott, funded by the Michigan Education Association.
Snyder said he was motivated by a desire to make sure public resources are used solely for serving the public, saying taxpayers should have to pay the cost of deducting union dues. But what he really wanted was to send labor a message.
Expect more of this now that the state’s labor unions and the Democratic Party have teamed to try to undue most of the Snyder agenda with ballot initiatives.
Synder is not going to let the union assualt go unanswered. He’s previously said he doesn’t want a divisive battle with labor, but the war is on now, and he’ll fight back.
Join the Conversation
The Detroit News aims to provide a forum that fosters smart, civil discussions on the news and events that we cover. The News will not condone personal attacks, off topic posts or brutish language on our site. If you find a comment that you believe violates these standards, please click the "X" in the upper right corner of the post to report it.