Competitive Michigan House races feature anti-labor Republican candidates

Republicans running for the Michigan Legislature have taken unpopular stances on labor rights that could put them at odds with unions and workers.

Democrats currently hold a two-seat majority in the Michigan House of Representatives. All of the House’s seats are up for reelection this year.

In March 2023, Michigan became the first state in nearly 60 years to repeal its right-to-work law. Right-to-work laws prevent labor unions from requiring workers to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment. Labor activists argue that these laws weaken unions by limiting their resources, making it harder to negotiate fair contracts for workers.

Every Republican in the Michigan House of Representatives opposed the repeal, including Rep. Jim Desana of District 29. Just a few months earlier, Desana had touted his history of union membership in a Labor Day Facebook post.

“Having been a proud member of the Teamsters local 1038 and the Laborers local 1191 back in my early working years, I value what these organizations have done for the working Men and Women of Downriver and Monroe County,” Desana wrote. “God Bless all of the American workers who build our cars and trucks, transport our products, build our roads and bridges and construct our buildings.”

Other prominent opponents of the right-to-work repeal were Rep. Jamie Thompson in District 28, Rep. Mark Tisdel in District 45, and Rep. Donni Steele in District 54. All of these districts are in or near southeastern Michigan.

Rylee Linting, the Republican running in District 27, indicated she will support right-to-work laws if elected.

“Let’s make sure we protect Right to Work and promote our Trade Schools and Community Colleges across the state,” Linting wrote on Facebook in February 2023.

Thompson, Tisdel, and Steele also opposed Senate Bill 6, a law that guaranteed union wages for construction workers on public projects. In June, they opposed House Bill 4354, which expanded bargaining rights for teachers unions.

The Michigan Education Association, the largest union representing teachers in the state, has around 120,000 members.

In 2018, labor activists in Michigan gathered enough signatures to put the Earned Sick Time Act  (ESTA) on the ballot as a referendum. The law required employers to provide at least one hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked. Workers at larger companies could accrue up to 72 hours of paid sick leave each year.

The Michigan Legislature, which was controlled by Republicans at the time, made ESTA law before it could be voted on, thus keeping it off the ballot. This enabled them to use a tactic known as “adopt and amend” to alter and defang the law. The final version cut the sick time guarantee from 72 to 40 hours and slowed the rate at which an employee accrued sick leave.

In July, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the “adopt and amend” procedure violated the state constitution and ordered that ESTA had to be implemented as originally written. 

Steele railed against the court’s decision in a press release and claimed, without proof, that the law would lead to higher prices at restaurants.

“This ruling will wreak havoc on our businesses and their employees,” Steele said. “We must not treat California like a roadmap for Michigan. We need to learn from their mistakes and stop this before food prices are so high that families can’t afford to go out to eat.”

The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), a right-wing group that has worked to oppose expansions of paid sick leave, contributed $500 to Steele’s 2024 campaign. The group contributed the same amounts to Desana and Tisdel.