[nfbmi-talk] interesting state workers not impacted

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Impact of Michigan law will be felt as contracts come up By Karen Bouffard and Jim Lynch Detroit News Lansing Bureau Comments . Lansing - It will take months

or even years for unionized public and private employees to feel the impact of the state's new right-to-work law. For private- and most public-sector workers,

the law doesn't go into effect until 90 days after the end of the final legislative session of the year, which is typically just before Christmas. That

means the law would take effect in late March. Even then, the law will not affect union workers until current collective bargaining agreements expire -

which could be as long as three years for some recently signed contracts. It will be a rolling event that, as those contracts come up, workers can make

that selection (and decide) do they want this (union shop) or not," Gov. Rick Snyder said late Tuesday. Police and firefighters are exempt from the law.

State Rep. Pete Lund, R-Shelby Township, said little will change in the coming weeks. Once the bill becomes law, workers are allowed to leave their unions

at any time," he said. But collective bargaining remains in place. Union contracts that extend past the date the law goes into effect would remain in place

and run until their expiration. For the unions, it will be a chance to make their case (for workers to pay dues) and for the employees, it will be a chance

to choose," Lund said. Unionized state workers won't be affected unless the Michigan Civil Service Commission - which has jurisdiction over work rules

for about 35,000 state employees - changes its policies to make the option available to workers. The Michigan constitution dictates that state employees

are under the jurisdiction of the commission - so statutes enacted by the state Legislature don't apply to them. State employees will not be affected,

not one bit," said Lansing attorney Richard McLellan, an expert on Michigan constitutional law. Most recently, state workers challenged in court a Snyder

administration effort to force veteran state workers to pay 4 percent of their salary to maintain their pension. In September, an Ingham County circuit

judge ruled the deductions violate the commission's constitutional authority to set pay and benefits for state workers. kbouffard at detnews.com (517) 371-3660

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