LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that state employees are included in the 2012 right-to-work law.
In a 4-3 ruling, the court upheld an earlier appeals court decision that employees of the state can choose not to pay union dues and fees.
Unions, like the United Auto Workers (UAW), argued it wasn’t up to lawmakers to set conditions of employment, arguing that the Civil Service Commission had those rights.
However, in a majority opinion, Chief Justice Robert P. Young wrote that the legislature does have that power.
The ruling is considered a big blow to the UAW and other unions, which represent roughly 36,000 state employees.
