Michigan Gov- Right to work "Not relevant"

[Ardbeg... innit]

WTF?? Why did we bother then? Link

Gov. Rick Snyder in Grand Rapids: Right to work irrelevant to Michigan's future economy

Gov. Rick Snyder in a speech to the Michigan Press Association dismissed concerns about a deflating effect of right to work on labor wages, focusing instead on his effort to play matchmaker between “talent” supply and demand.

Two of the four questions Snyder took after speaking Friday, Jan. 25, at a luncheon in Amway Grand Plaza Hotel dealt with the controversial bill that the Republican-led state Legislature passed in lame-duck (why a no chicken?) session last month. The gist of his responses: Michiganders aren’t going to be working union jobs anyway, so stop making right to work a divisive, political issue.

“Over 90 percent of the jobs that you’re looking at aren’t going to be in a situation where right to work is even relevant," Snyder said in the hotel’s Ambassador Ballroom. "Let’s keep in mind what the economy is really about. Why not embrace the great things going on and be more positive?

“Let’s not live in the Michigan of the past where we fought. Let’s learn from it and recognize that we’re in the Michigan of 2013, but let’s be planning for the Michigan of 2025 and a great place for all of these young people.”

[New Mama]

The Governor is playing down the right to work law for good reason. It's salt in the wound of many rabid union groups/people. The majority of the people in Michigan wanted right to work. Right to work will make a difference in Michigan as it has in Indiana. I also think that a portion of the current union members will leave as they now have a right to leave the union and keep their jobs. More important is that Michigan may now attract industry instead of discouraging it to move in with the union rules.

[Tex]

I am looking at Michigan from the perspective of an outsider.

Michigan probably had a large percentage of the auto manufacturing capacity in the world from the 1910s up through the 1970s. They were in a sellers market from 1945 until the 70s. Life was good and the unions demanded and got all kinds of things that worked until competition set in, largely as a result of the unions getting all kinds of things.

When the new US car plants were built in the last 20 or 30 years, Michigan had a much more skilled pool of auto workers than the southern states where the plants were located, but Michigan priced themselves out of the market - too much money, too many benefits, adversarial attitude toward employers, etc. They couldn't produce cars to compete with overseas manufacturers.

Michigan still has a small edge in the skilled auto labor pool, but it is dwindling and will be gone altogether in a few years.

Michigan inherited great things, but like many inheritors, they pissed it away and maye also like inheritors, many of them think they are special snowflakes and shouldn't have to work as hard as the other folks out there in the marketplace. Human nature is such, that you might think people could learn from the experiences of others, but maybe the cycle just has to play itself out - no shortcuts.

[Chicago Jake]

It's called "sour grapes," a classic example of cognitive dissonance. He can't get what he wants, so he decides he never really wanted it in the first place. Textbook behavior.

PS - I'm assuming he was against the "right to work" legislation. If he was in favor of it, then he's just a lying, double-talking politician.

[Ardbeg... innit]

Jan 28, 2013 10:15:41 GMT -6 Chicago Jake said:

It's called "sour grapes," a classic example of cognitive dissonance. He can't get what he wants, so he decides he never really wanted it in the first place. Textbook behavior.

PS - I'm assuming he was against the "right to work" legislation. If he was in favor of it, then he's just a lying, double-talking politician.

He signed the bill into law

[Tex]

The way I would take his comment is that many of the private sector union jobs are already gone and that the new jobs would likely not be union. There is some truth in what he said but he is alos being a politician trying to smooth over ruffled feathers with the hard core union people.