Clinton Township Rep. Lane Calls Right-to-Work Push ‘Betrayal of Trust’

It was with outrage and a sense of disbelief that Clinton Township’s Democratic Rep. Marilyn Lane (District 31) watched 58 of her colleagues in the state House pass historic right-to-work legislation Tuesday afternoon.

Several hours later, Gov. Rick Snyder signed Senate Bill 116 and House Bill 4003 into law, making Michigan the nation’s 24th right-to-work state.

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“Michigan has been the comeback state and moving this forward has only created a divisive atmosphere and disenfranchised labor,” said Lane, who voted against the legislation. “This is supposed to cast a positive tone, but it’s going to be a long time before they can put humpty dumpty back together again in Michigan. This was a betrayal of trust.”

Apart from her opposition to right-to-work itself, Lane said she was chiefly concerned with the process, or rather lack thereof, used to pass this legislation.

“Every person up here campaigned on transparency. It’s the hub of good policy and that was stripped here,” she said. “There were no committee hearings. To have no voice in the process, to be locked out, to have no seat in the public house … I have to say the process has been deplorable.”

Snyder privately signed the legislation just hours after the bills won final approval in the House and five days after he called on legislators to enact the law.

“I view this as simply trying to get this issue behind us,” Snyder said during a press conference Tuesday. “I recognize that people are going to be upset. There’ll be a continuation. But hopefully what’s really going to transpire over time is you’re going to see workers making a choice and you’ll see unions being held more accountable and responsive.”

However, what Snyder calls leadership and relentless positive action, Lane considers the disenfranchisement of Michigan workers. 

“This is not what relentless positive action looks like,” she said, referencing the Tuesday. “He’s made statements that he was not interested in right-to-work. Yes, we’ve been talking about right-to-work for years. We’ve been talking about the end of the earth, too, but that didn’t mean it was coming yesterday.”

Along with prohibiting public and private sector unions from requiring private workers – with the exception of police and firefighters – to pay dues as a term of employment, the law also includes a $1 million appropriation to make it "referendum-proof.”

When asked during the press conference why he would not let people have a chance to repeal the law through a referendum, Snyder said he believed the bills were “part of the normal legislative process," and voters could always attempt a ballot drive on the issue in 2014.

For Lane, this appropriation was completely inappropriate.

“Regardless of your view on this issue, you have to question the process,” she said. “It gets brought up in lame duck, doesn’t go through the normal fashion, the Capitol doors were literally locked on Thursday and then to throw a million-dollar appropriation on it. All of this is in the name of good governance for Michigan?”

With this legislative session nearing its end, Lane, who was elected to her second term in November, said she is worried about the “divisive atmosphere” the law will carry into next year.

“This is going to have a huge impact of consensus building. What does this do, moving right-to-work legislation at this time?”

, who serves the 24th District, was one of only six Republicans to oppose the bills.

In an earlier interview with Patch, Forlini said he also considers right-to-work a "divisive issue," adding, "I feel it would have been better as a ballot initiative. It shouldn’t be a Republican or Democratic issue just because one party or the other is in leadership.”

The GOP-controlled House passed HB 4003 by a 58-51 vote, while SB 116 passed 58-52 Tuesday.