President Barack Obama weighed in on the
contentious labor battle playing out in Michigan, condemning the Republican
push to make Michigan a so-called "right-to-work" state as nothing
more than a partisan maneuver that will hurt the working class.
"We should do everything we can to keep
creating good middle-class jobs that help folks rebuild security for their
families," Obama said Monday in a speech at the Daimler Detroit Diesel
plant.
"And by the way, what we shouldn't do
-- I've just got to say this -- what we shouldn't be doing is trying to take
away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions," he
added to loud applause from the audience. "We shouldn't be doing that. The
so-called 'right-to-work' laws -- they don't have to do with economics, they
have everything to do with politics. What they're really talking about is
giving you the right to work for less money."
Michigan is set to become the 24th
right-to-work state, with Gov. Rick Snyder (R) poised to sign the controversial
bill after it was fast-tracked by the GOP-controlled legislature. Thousands of
union supporters protested at the state capitol in Lansing last week, and more
protests are planned for Tuesday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/obama-michigan-right-to-work_n_2272408.html
