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    Who are the NERD fund donors Mr Snyder?

    Raise the curtain.

    Michigan Freedom To Work


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Sat Jun 04, 2011 at 09:21:20 AM EST
    Tags: Michigan, Unions, labor, Freedom to Work, FTW, RTW, Right-To-Work, Lansing, Legislators, Representatives, Senators, One Chance (all tags)

    Its time to take back our state, and regain control of our own efforts and skills.

    Folks here have seen some of my commentary on the issue, and understand where I am on the issue.  Quite a bit of effort has been made in the background on this issue so that it has the fighting chance it deserves. The planning and execution of this has included some of the organizers taking hardship on themselves to push for this all too appropriate measure for Michigan.

    They took leaves of absence from paying jobs.

    This is important enough for a number of folks who might otherwise have minor disagreement, to come together in this much needed effort.  We will need your help on this as well.

    So note his press release comes from only a single group involved in our effort to unshackle Michigan workers to their unions, and bring accountability back to workers' representation.  From the Campaign for Liberty Tony Demott begins. (Note that Terry Bowman, a UAW worker is a point man in this)

    Also note that there will be an effort to "out" Republicans who do not take advantage of this one opportunity to complete the process of healing the state of Michigan.  The pressure will be on, and if your Michigan Representative or Senator does not support what OUGHT TO BE seen as a natural right, perhaps its time they go back to the private sector and work for ... SIEU.

    We are not kidding.

    Begin Message:


    June 3, 2011

    Dear Michigan Patriots,

    Over  the past couple of weeks, we have been working to put Senate Majority  Leader Randy Richardville on record on Right to Work.  Will he allow a  vote?

    We are not alone in this fight.  In fact, we've worked  closely with Terry Bowman, President and founder of Union  Conservatives.  I'm honored to introduce Terry and his group to you.

    More below

    As you read Terry's message below,  I hope you savor, as I did, the realization that our strategy is being  adopted by more and more organizations.  We should stand proud of our  stance for Liberty within our own communities and political parties.   It's great to see others standing up within their communities and  organizations as well.

    I ask all Campaign for Liberty members that belong to a union, or are retired from a union, to let Terry know  of your support for our shared cause.  Please click this link and let us know if you are--we will contact you and discuss taking a stand with Terry and other Liberty-minded union members to support Right to Work.

    For Liberty,


    Tony DeMott
    Michigan State Coordinator
    Campaign for Liberty

    Hello Campaign for Liberty supporters!

    My name is Terry Bowman, UAW member, and President and founder of Union Conservatives.

    We are a group that is--for the first time in union history--reaching out and organizing conservatives within the unions.

    You see, we believe it's essential that conservative union members join together to confront the political injustice of forced unionism. At least 40% of the 14.7 million union workers do not vote in line with the far-left political agenda of their union bosses.

    Yet they are forced by law to pay for their political agenda or lose their job.

    From libertarians to independent voters, from conservatives to Reagan democrats, between 5 and 7 million union workers are left without a voice and are consistently persecuted,  harassed, and marginalized when they make their political voices heard  in the union workplace.

    I can personally attest to the terror  factor.  Many union conservatives express to me their fear of being  "outed" and persecuted.

    Because  of this, many "keep their heads down" and are genuinely afraid to speak  up.  It is for these people that Union Conservatives was formed.

    We are reaching our goals by adhering to our 3 foundations:


         
    • Bridging the gap between union members and liberty

    •    
    • Building an organization of voices, and

    •    
    • Strengthening unions through conservative principles.


    Tony and I have teamed up for an issue that is near and dear to our beliefs: Right to Work.
    For  the union worker, Right to Work honors the 1st Amendment guarantee of  freedom of association, including freedom not to associate.  It is that simple. As it is now, in Michigan, a majority of employees can form a union and force the minority to pay dues or be fired.  There is no recourse for the employer or the employee that doesn't want to join.   The contract between employee and employer can be overridden by the  union--the union created by no agreement with either party!

    We strongly believe in Right  to Work because it is a civil rights violation to force workers to  financially support an outside third party as a condition of employment.   The passage of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act gutted our  constitutional freedom of association, and we believe that the NLRA must  be repealed.The abuses today are visible everywhere.

    A doctor reports to me that unions can require prior approval for HMO  procedures. He had one life-or-death case where prior approval was not  possible, because some 19 year old clerk in the union offices refused to  authorize payment.

    Another supporter was forced to pay dues for  ten years to the union at the golf course she worked at--even though, as  a seasonal employee, she was ineligible for any benefits!  Like so many  others, she was afraid to speak up.

    This is why it's so vital that you sign Campaign for Liberty's Statement of Support for Union Conservatives.

    The more voices we have, the more easily more people can find the courage to speak up.  Our strength is in our numbers.

    But this is about more than freedom.  It's about restoring Michigan to its greatness.

    Forced unionism has devastated Michigan's economy perhaps more than any other state.   Companies rightly understand that forced unions are a threat to their  ability to do business, and choose to build in Right to Work states  rather than face Michigan's draconian union demands.

    Folks, Michigan has the best trained, most abundant factory workforce in the nation. And, we are surrounded by fellow forced union states.  Companies all over the area would expand into Michigan.  From  our engineering base to the skilled trade workforce, Michigan would  offer a perfect environment for attracting new business and the  well-paying jobs that come with them.

    Boeing considered renovating and using the Willow Run assembly plant in Ypsilanti for new manufacturing. Instead, they chose South Carolina, a Right to Work state.
    Have you seen the TV commercial for the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina?  The plant employs over 7,000 people--jobs which might have come to Michigan, were we a Right to Work state.But there is something that we can do together to help Michigan's economy back from the brink of disaster.

    We can work together to help pass a Right to Work law here in Michigan. Click here to join us.

    As a group of union workers who embrace reality, we realize that Right to Work is not the villain that the union officials say it is. It represents real jobs, real economic advantages in a state so desperately in need,and the freedom and liberty to choose.

    We believe that if Michigan becomes Right to Work, we would immediately be a magnet for these new manufacturing jobs.

    This summer, Union Conservatives is organizing union workers who are with us on the Right to Work issue.

    If you are a current union worker, former union worker, or retiree, I ask  you to join Campaign For Liberty and Union Conservatives in this cause.

    We are planning a press conference to announce to the citizens of Michigan that we are union workers who believe that everyone has a right to be in a union--but only if they choose to do so.

    We are seeking as many current and former union members to stand with us.  Will you?

    In January of 1962, President John Kennedy signed Executive Order #10988 which states:

    "...Employees of the Federal Government shall have, and shall be protected in the exercise of, the right, freely and without fear of penalty or reprisal, to form, join or assist any employee organization, or to refrain from any such activity."

    The very order that gave collective bargaining rights to Federal employees also guaranteed a Right to Work status for all employees of the Federal  Government! Here in Michigan, we too can have those rights; but only if  we are free to refrain from any such activity.

    Will you stand with us?

    Sincerely,

    Terry Bowman
    Union Conservatives, Inc.
    www.unionconservatives.com

    P.S.  If you stand with Union Conservatives, please sign Campaign for Liberty's Statement of Support, and be sure to include your union background. It's time to stand together and get this done.

    Feel free to forward this information to your union friends and neighbors!  As I said earlier, we will need you on this as well with near daily calls to your Reps and Senators until they are very clear in their support of bringing back accountability to the unions, and restoring Michigan.

    Those folks who are a part of unions and wish to speak for Freedom to work legislation in advertisements and events can make contact in the manner above, or contact me directly at This particular email account and I will have the appropriate team member contact you. Also PLEASE POST in your facebook, or other networking accounts,  Twitter, Etc.

    We Must make this work to become competitive again; to regain control of our efforts; to be able to lead our own lives once more.

    We must have Freedom to work in Michigan.

    < Trying As Hard As I Can, But I Just Can't Warm Up To This | Lies, Damned Lies, and Charter Amendments >


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    Let me provide . . . (none / 0) (#1)
    by Kevin Rex Heine on Sun Jun 05, 2011 at 06:48:10 AM EST
    . . . an assist on this one.

    All of the state senators and state representatives whose 2010 candidacy was endorsed by the Indedpendence Caucus of Michigan agreed, on the record, to support right-to-work legislation (including a joint resolution placing the measure onto the 2012 ballot).  Feel free to use that information as leverage when speaking with them or their office staff.

    This is good news (none / 0) (#2)
    by grannynanny on Sun Jun 05, 2011 at 06:25:06 PM EST
    and I know there are conservatives out there that belong to unions - but we will see how many are "willing" to come out and support this group.  It will be interesting to see the numbers.  

    For those that do - good on you for the bravery to stand up to your union.  For those that don't - you are not a true conservative.

    Principles above politics.

    Pay attention . . . (none / 0) (#3)
    by Kevin Rex Heine on Tue Jun 07, 2011 at 07:58:51 AM EST
    . . . to what happens in New Hampshire in the next few weeks.

    The state legislature there placed a RTW bill on Governor Lynch's desk.  However, the Democrat chief executive vetoed it, citing the same union propaganda drivel we've always heard.

    The leadership in the Republican-dominated legislature believes that they have the votes to override the veto, but now have to get past the pro-union stalling tactics of the Democrat leadership.

    New Hampshire already has effectively no state income tax (interest and dividend only); to make it the only RTW state in New England would be a huge thing.

    Keep a weather eye on The Granite State, y'all.

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