Cavuto Helps Rick Snyder Pretend His Right To Work Legislation is ‘All About Being Pro Worker’

Michigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder visited Your World last Friday (12/7/12) to discuss Michigan’s GOP-controlled legislature approving right to work laws. He said, “We’re gonna get it done… It’s really important for a couple of reasons… It’s all about being pro worker. We have hard working people in Michigan, and it’s important to give them the freedom to choose. They should be able to choose whether to join a union or not, and this is about the relationship between a union and workers, not about employers and unions.”

Snyder continued, “The second piece is, is I think this can be good for economic development for more and better jobs coming to Michigan.”

Cavuto offered the mildest of pushbacks. “They say, the unions do, Sir, that you’re presenting a Trojan horse here, that you’re actually out to destroy the unions, and... it’s about the slow dismantling of unions. What do you say?”

“Not at all,” Snyder insisted. “If you look at unions in Michigan, they’ve done a lot of great things in our state. We’re at the center of the labor movement going back in the last century. In the 20s, 30s, and 40s, people flocked to join the unions because they were helping with working conditions, wages, all those things.

…People used to choose to join a union. Now, I don’t believe it’s appropriate to say just to keep your job you have to pay dues and be a union member… I view this as pro-worker legislation.”

But the Economic Policy Institute did the math that Cavuto didn’t bother to do. The EPI found that right-to-work laws don’t boost job growth; they lower wages and reduce benefits for both union and non-union workers. Funny how Cavuto avoided mentioning any actual statistics.

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Showing 7 reactions

sandman1 commented 2012-12-10 23:40:28 -0500 · Flag

Sure, the governor is pro-worker, if that worker prefers to work for a lot less pay, prefers to pay more of his/her premiums, and prefers not to have any kind of retirement benefits. I believe the governors favorite workers have large letters after there names, CEO, CFO, PRES. V.P. of People Who Actually Build Our Stuff. My gov. here in Wisconsin loves those workers.

Aria Prescott commented 2012-12-10 18:26:03 -0500 · Flag

Joshua, how about you show me where anyone on this site has said we shouldn’t have a choice on union or right to work. I’ve personally worked on both sides of the aisle, and I gotta tell you that, weighing the pros and cons… unions have more pros. Especially in my profession.

You want people who don’t want you to be able to choose, how about you look at Fox News? They’ve supported every effort to exterminate unions. They’ve supported every effort to end their rights. they’ve paraded people who outright admit that they’re selling no rights as better rights.

How about you take a look at what they’re doing, before you level false accusations against the people on this site.

Joseph West commented 2012-12-10 18:12:44 -0500 · Flag

Well Joshua, I tell you what. Let’s give those workers a choice. If they decide to NOT join a union, then they shouldn’t expect to be covered by the union BENEFITS either. Union negotiates a pay raise? Fine, only union workers should get it. Union negotiates a “no layoff” proposal? Fine, only union workers should be covered. Union negotiates to protect workers from an overbearing supervisor? Fine, only union workers are protected. You’re not a union member and the boss wants you to work through your lunch hour without pay? Well, sorry bub, but while union workers enjoy a satisfying lunch and get a chance to relax for an hour, you get to spend your hour doing whatever the boss tells you and the union won’t get in his way.

Seriously, dude, do you even think stuff through? The simple REALITY is that these “right-to-work” laws also just happen to make it a hell of a lot MORE difficult in starting a union or even being covered by a union. And yet, it’s folks like you who would expect hard-working union MEMBERS to pay for all those “leeches” who want the union to protect THEM the same way the union does its dues-paying members. That’s right. “Leeches.” It cuts both ways. The right-wing has no problem going after the “takers” when folks get stuff from the government but they’re all in favor of “takers” when it comes to non-union workers in a union workplace.

Kevin Koster commented 2012-12-10 18:05:39 -0500 · Flag

This is the same vicious attack that was inflicted upon Wisconsin, and it looks like it’s having the same backfire effect.

The GOP state people trying to inflict this attack have no interest in workers or their families. They just hate unions and wish to do anything they can to undermine and destroy them. The point of the legislation is to destroy their funding source and drive as many people out of the unions as possible. If it were successful, the unions would no longer have a voice in politics, while the major corporations that are outsourcing their jobs would have a monopoly on access. Given how poorly the GOP has performed in such matters (c.f. Paul Ryan’s disregard for the devastation in his own community until he could try to blame it on Obama), this is not a winner for them.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that they rushed it through the legislature. Meaning that they knew this couldn’t go through and would likely be thrown out, and that they’re trying to get it in before the end of the year. By the middle of next year, whatever hasn’t been immediately tossed by the new state legislature will likely be thrown out in court. Again.

truman commented 2012-12-10 17:56:42 -0500 · Flag

The Midwest seems to be a haven now for Teabagging-Repug Governors. Snyder in Michigan, Kasich in Ohio and the lazy-eyed pig Walker in Wisconsin.

Carol Ottinger commented 2012-12-10 17:30:41 -0500 · Flag

Snyder in two years has totally screwed up this State. If people do not want to work in a union shop, no one is making them. There are plenty of non-union they can work in. Snyder is trying to prevent Unions from donating to the Democrat Party is all. It’s ok the Republicans have Karl Rowe, numerous Super Pacs, Big Banks, Wall Street, the Hertigate Foundation, Better Business Bureau, the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Anderson, tho.

Joshua Hatheway commented 2012-12-10 16:54:20 -0500 · Flag

So yea. Lets not give workers a choice. When it comes to aborting a baby choice is good. When it comes to joining a union choice is bad. I wonder if the writers here at Newshounds are part of a union. I’ll start one if not. I will fight for a dollar a word minimum regardless of performance and use of grammar. 50 bucks a month dues.