Monday, July 4, 2011

How Many Michigan Republicans Support "Big Labor"? Just One, Says Mackinac Center

From a story posted by Ken Braun on June 23, 2011
Big Labor bosses seeking protection from non-union competition on government construction jobs had a two-front fight going on last week in both Washington, D.C., and Lansing. Votes to determine the fate of project labor agreements occurred in both the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and the GOP-dominated Michigan Senate. When it was all over, a total of 34 Republican lawmakers from Michigan had cast votes on these legislative battlefields, and just one voted on the side of the labor unions to protect PLAs: Congressman Thad McCotter, R-Livonia.

“A PLA is little more than a mechanism to put non-union construction companies at an unfair disadvantage, and steer government work to unions,” said Paul Kersey, director of labor policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “If a company wants to bid on a contract, it has to have an agreement with the local unions. Obviously that puts non-union companies in a difficult position.”

Please click here to read the entire article, authored by Ken Braun of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

McCotter did not respond to an email from Mackinac seeking comment regarding his vote.

1 comment:

Gary Glenn said...

Well, more than one.

Pete Hoekstra was endorsed by Teamsters union officials in the 2010 gubernatorial race, which obviously didn't help him much.

His cozy relationship with Teamster officials didn't start there...

"U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-MI, lauded the Teamsters today at the union's 27th International Convention for being the 'voice of America's workers' with the unique ability to get things done. ...'Pete Hoekstra is a true friend of the Teamsters,' General President Jim Hoffa said."

http://teamster.info/content/hoekstra-says-teamsters-are-voice-america39s-workers

And on OFF THE RECORD with Tim Skubick, Pete said:

"I think it would be a bad idea to put (Right to Work) on the ballot. I don't know if it would pass or not. I'd probably NOT vote for it."

23:55 of the video at:

http://wkar.org/offtherecord/program.php?num=3841

Come baaack, Jaaaack...