DETROIT (AP) — Michigan voters will decide next week on a labor-backed ballot proposal that would strengthen municipal workers' union rights, even as some deficit-plagued cities look to cut pay and other benefits negotiated through collective bargaining.
Proposal 2 is one of six referendums to be decided Nov. 6, and one of five that ask voters whether to amend the state constitution.
If approved, the proposal would ban Michigan from enacting right-to-work laws — which limit unions' ability to collect fees from nonunion workers — and would roll back many of the changes GOP lawmakers have made in public employees' benefits, including requiring additional pension contributions and replacing retiree health insurance for new employees with a 401(k)-style systems.
The proposal also would give public and private workers in Michigan the constitutional right to unionize and reach contracts through collective bargaining. Opponents are particularly concerned about a provision stating that any current or future law would be invalidated if they limit workers' ability to unionize and bargain as a group.
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