"Michigan's police and firefighters unions have spent years fighting for and defending the state's binding arbitration law but all of their work protecting PA 312 could disappear in an instant under this deceptive ballot proposal," said Rich Studley, President and CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.  "The union bosses and lawyers behind this constitutional hijacking attempt have not been honest with voters and they have not been honest with union members.  Michigan deserves better than half truths and confusion at the ballot box."

As explained by the CPMC, the provisions of 312 are an impairment of the bargaining process, something the initiative is trying to "resolve".  According to a legal memo from Gary Gordon, an Attorney with the Dykema Gossett law firm in Lansing, it is likely that PA 312's provisions for submitting contract negotiations to binding arbitration may be interpreted as impairing or limiting the right to collectively bargain, actions that would be prohibited by the deceptive ballot proposal, and would not survive approval of the proposal.  Additionally, PA 312's provisions mandating the factors arbitrators must consider in reaching an agreement may no longer be deemed viable while several other aspects of PA 312 that could be considered to adversely impact mandatory bargaining would also likely be rendered void.

The attorney behind the proposal, Andrew Nickelhoff, recently admitted his own proposal is intentionally confusing and would have far-reaching and potentially unforeseen consequences when he told reporters: "We can guess at how (the proposal) might affect existing legislation and we could spend all day doing that, but in the end, it's just going to have to be decided (in the courts) on a case-by-case basis."

Pass it to see what is in it.

Where have we seen THAT before?

Admittedly I don't like PA312, but this is not the way to do it.  Compare it to travel.  One could certainly get from one place to another (point A to point b) by firing oneself from a high powered cannon.