Employees for the state of Michigan are represented by six main unions. Five of these were affected when the state passed a right-to-work law that went into effect in 2013. (The other is a union for state police officers, who were exempted from the law.)
These unions are the Michigan State Employees Association, UAW Local 6000, SEIU 517, AFSCME Council 25 and the Michigan Corrections Officers.
Here is a look at the percentage of workers choosing to remain members of these unions after they were allowed to leave under the right-to-work law. The data cover 2013-18 and comes from reports filed by the Michigan Civil Service Commission.
Right-to-work has had different effects on the unions, but all have lost a sizable portion of their members. This suggests that thousands of state employees benefitted from right-to-work by no longer being forced to financial support a union they do not want to affiliate with.
Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.
Get insightful commentary and the most reliable research on Michigan issues sent straight to your inbox.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Please consider contributing to our work to advance a freer and more prosperous state.
Donate | About | Blog | Pressroom | Publications | Careers | Site Map | Email Signup | Contact