Despite Michigan Education Association President Steve Cook’s warning in 2013 that “whoever votes for [right-to-work] is not going to have any peace for the next two years,” right-to-work has not been as disruptive as initially anticipated. While union membership in Michigan did take an above-average (-1.8%) drop in 2014 (the first full year after right-to-work was enacted), membership increased in 2015 (0.7%) for the first time in over a decade, according to U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys. On average, union membership has been declining by approximately 0.5% per year from 2005 to 2015. For the most part, the passage of Michigan’s right-to-work laws has not caused serious disruptions to the workforce or labor peace and has not resulted in large numbers of employees revoking their union membership.
With the current composition of the Legislature, it is unlikely that the bills will actually be enacted into law. With the upcoming election, however, the composition of the Legislature could change and the bills could be reintroduced and passed later.
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