You wouldn’t understand — It’s a solidarity thing.

When opponents of the drive to make Michigan a Right to Work for Less state rally at the State Capitol Building on Tuesday, they will be joined by some of their brothers and sisters from Wisconsin.

Details after the jump.

Solidarity!

From our friends at Working Michigan:

Details and a larger version of the graphic after the jump.

This should be interesting

Next week, the state legislature reconvenes on Tuesday. When they get to work that morning, they will be greeted by thousands of outraged Michiganders who are there to let these lawmakers know that the Right to Work for Less legislation — or Right to Freeload as some are calling it — it an afront to the citizens of the birthplace of labor unions.

I wrote yesterday about the involvement in the rally as well as that of Planned Parenthood. Now, with other groups signing on, we learn that conservative groups have reserved the Capitol Building grounds in an effort to stop their rally.

Details and more after the jump.

Be there or … hell with that, just BE THERE!

There will be a HUGE rally at the State Capitol Building in Lansing on Tuesday, November 11. Labor groups, progressive allies and Planned Parenthood are teaming up to demonstrate a show of solidarity unlike any we’ve seen yet.

Details and more after the jump.

It’s time for ACTION!

I have a piece up today at the AFL-CIO NOW blog that discusses the travesty that happened at the state capitol yesterday. I wanted to expand on a couple of things that I discussed there. Mainly, that the Republicans, including Governor Rick Snyder are complete and utter hypocrites on the topic of unions and union-crushing Right to Work for Less (RTWFL) laws.

Much more including how YOU can get involved after the jump.

Stuff just got real

President Obama has weighed in on the Republican push to destroy unions in Michigan.

Considering that President Obama said nearly nothing during the anti-union war in Wisconsin last year, this is huge.

Thank you, President Obama.

The White House statement after the jump.

This is what happens when you vote Republican

In a move that surprises just about nobody, Governor Rick Snyder announced at press conference this morning that when anti-union Republicans send “Right to Work for Less” (RTWFL) legislation to his desk, he will sign it.

After spending the past year being coy about his position on RTWFL, it was widely suspected that he would support such legislation. With gerrymandered districts ensuring Republican dominance for the foreseeable future, the will of Michiganders as a whole is being thwarted by a cadre of drunk-with-power ideologues that have been waiting for decades to jam anti-union, anti-worker, anti-woman and pro-Big Business bills through the legislature and into law. The perfect storm of the 2010 midterm election and the redistricting that happened the following year gave them their opportunity.

Details after the jump.

THIS is what democracy looks like

Via my good friend Abby Clark, a photo and video from the Michigan Capitol Building this morning. It’s already full of anti-Right to Work protesters by 9:30 a.m.

As Abby puts it, “This is a nightmare that should be getting national meda attention. Michigan is the birthplace of the American middle class as we know it and it’s facing an existential threat as retribution for Proposal 2 and the results of the November 6th elections.”

Video and photo after the jump.

Forming a more perfect union

Republican attacks on labor unions are, perhaps, one of the most hypocritical positions that they have. As they hold the U.S. Constitution aloft and bow down in solemn reverence to the Declaration of Independence, they seem to forget a couple of key things.

First, our country is, at its very core, a UNION. We are the UNITED States of America. We work together for the common good of all of our citizens, at least when we’re doing it right.

Second, one of our most basic tenets, right there in the 1st Amendment, is the right to peaceably assemble.

Labor unions are one of the purest expressions of democracy and freedom in this country, a fact that is often lost in the discussion. I want to remind our legislators of this so I started a petition called “Unions ARE Democracy. Unions ARE Freedom. Stop Republican attacks on unions in Michigan, say NO to ‘Right to Work’ for Less.“

You wanted a fight, Republicans? You have yourselves a fight!

Facing a Republican attack on collective bargaining rights and a full-court press to make Michigan a Right to Work For Less state, the Michigan AFL-CIO is hosting another Lobby Day at the State Capitol Building in Lansing tomorrow.

The Republicans have switched from the already-deceitful name “Right to Work” to “Freedom to Work”, presumably so that they can get the attention of tea party fanatics that worship anything with the word “freedom” or “patriot” associated with it (unless that loss of “freedom” comes in the form of an Emergency Manager for an African American community, of course.)

Details about the event and more after the jump.

And the winner is… the anti-Labor conservatives

NOTE: This is an abbreviated version of a post I published at the AFL-CIO NOW blog. Click HERE to read the whole piece.

For months and months, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has been playing Switzerland on the topic of “Right to Work For Less” (RTWFL) — the Orwellian-named anti-labor union drive — saying “It’s not on my agenda” but never promising to veto RTWFL legislation. He literally used that exact phrase every single time he was asked about it right up until this past week.

Today, all of that changed. After a meeting with top Republican leaders from the state House and Senate, it’s now “on the table”.