LANSING – Michigan House Democrats said this evening they are bitterly disappointed that Gov. Rick Snyder has signed so called “right-to-work” bills into law, making Michigan the 24th state to weaken collective bargaining rights. “I had hoped that at the last minute, Gov. Snyder would show a modicum of respect for the democratic process. He chose not to,” said House Democratic Leader-Elect Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills). “An issue as momentous as bargaining rights deserves an honest conversation and careful deliberation. Instead, Gov. Snyder and legislative Republicans pulled out all the stops to rush these bills through at a breakneck pace, without any opportunity for public comments, making a mockery of democracy in the process.” Gov. Snyder signed the bills around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday, five days after the bills were first introduced and just three hours after the last of the bills cleared the legislative process. The bills received no hearings and the public was given no opportunity to give testimony. On Tuesday, 12,500 people showed up to protest the laws, but Republicans disregarded their objections and ramrodded the bills through the Legislature. The “right-to-work” laws contained an appropriation, a measure intended to make the laws referendum-proof, further denying residents an opportunity to have their words heard. “The citizens of Michigan deserve so much better than this,” Greimel said. “What happened today was a travesty and an insult to democracy. The House Democratic Caucus vows to explore every legal avenue to overturn these bills that are bad for our economy and bad for middle-class families.”
