Michigan drops out of top-10 unionized states

(The Center Square) – Michigan is no longer in the top-10 states for unionized workers.

New numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Michigan fell to 11th place for union membership in 2020.

In 1983, Michigan had the second-highest percentage of unionization in the private sector of all states.

But after Michigan enacted Right to Work into law in 2013, ensuring workers can’t be forced to pay union dues to get or keep a job, numbers steadily declined.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan in 2013 had the nation’s fifth-highest unionization rate.

Jarrett Skorup, director of marketing and communications for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, told The Center Square in a phone interview that the unionization decline is clearly driven by the Right-To-Work law.

“Michigan’s been dropping over the decades, as has most states, but it’s still maintained one of the highest unionization rates. And that began changing pretty significantly with the right-to-work law.”

A BLS chart of union membership from 1989 to 2020 shows fluctuating rates.

Since 2012, the 14 major public and private sector unions in Michigan have a combined loss of nearly 130,000 members, Skorup noted in a 2019 article, an overall drop of 16%.

That was before the exposure of widespread union member dues abuse, including in 2020 when former United Auto Worker (UAW) President Gary Jones pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $1 million in dues money from members, as well as charges of racketeering and tax evasion.

Jones and other top UAW officials spent more than $750,000 of UAW funds to pay for personal luxuries, including golf clubs and fees, private villas, and top-shelf liquor, cigars, and meals.

According to the Department of Justice, Jones is the 14th person convicted in the ongoing UAW corruption investigation. The combined sentences of the nine people sentenced so far total 180 months in prison.

In February, the National Labor Relations Board granted the petition of Michigan construction employees to defend their right to vote union bargaining representatives from the workplace.

After the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision Janus v. AFSCME decision, all government workers are right to work across the country.

However, Congress is debating the PRO ACT, which seeks to eliminate right-to-work labor laws in 27 states.

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