LANSING, Mich. (March 14, 2023) — In a historic win for workers, House Bill 4004 and Senate Bill 34, legislation that repeals Michigan’s anti-union laws for public and private sector employees, respectively, passed the Senate today on a party-line vote. With this historic move, Michigan will be the first state to repeal anti-worker laws and restore collective bargaining rights in nearly sixty years.
“Today, we are doing something no state has done in nearly 60 years,” said State Senator Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), the primary bill sponsor of Senate Bill 34. “With the repeal of these worker suppression laws, workers all across our state will be able to secure better wages, benefits, and treatment at their jobs, and it will help build power in families that will last for generations, like it did for my own.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in states with expanded workers’ rights make $11,747 more annually. The Economic Policy Institute found workers in states with worker suppression policies earn an average of 3.1% less than workers in pro-worker states. This wage gap is particularly pronounced for workers in low-wage industries, such as food service and retail, who are more likely to be paid poverty-level wages.
Sen. Camilleri will be available for additional comment and interviews on this topic by request.
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