Despite thousands of protesters in the Michigan capitol, the Legislature approved new right-to-work regulations. The law will prohibit requirements to pay union dues. While proponents say that it will increase employment in Michigan, opponents say that it will only hurt workers and depress wages. Labor leaders say that they will work to elect more pro-worker politicians in the next election, and that they were weighing legal options. The Governor signed the legislation in private almost immediately after it was passed. The legislation will go into effect next year.
See "Limits on Unions Pass in Michigan, Once a Mainstay", Monica Davey, The New York Times, December 11, 2012