By Eric Rader
Public employees are under attack in Michigan and around the nation. Several new Republican governors argue that in order to balance their budgets, state employees, teachers, firefighters and police officers must make significant economic concessions. Though public workers were not the cause of the fiscal challenges facing the states, these employees have been willing to agree to some wage and benefit reductions to help bring state budgets into balance. But the governors are going even further — they want to end the fundamental right of public workers to collectively bargain with their employers over basic working conditions.
It is clear that the goal of these new Republican chief executives is not to balance budgets, but to kill off political opposition. Organized labor has consistently supported Democratic candidates for office, because the Democratic Party has long advocated for the interests of working people, while Republicans have often sided with the concerns of the wealthy and corporations. The billionaire Koch brothers, right-wing ideologues who espouse a vile political agenda, have spent millions of dollars to elect union-bashing, homophobic Republicans in a number of states, most notably Wisconsin. The recent attacks on collective bargaining represent an effort to dismantle the last bastion of political hope for those who believe in genuine democracy, in a system that is dominated by wealthy elites.
All of this is significant to the LGBT community. In the last few years, many of the collective bargaining agreements that unions have reached with management have included provisions that protect LGBT workers. The state of Michigan, led by former Governor Jennifer Granholm, agreed last year to provide health insurance coverage to domestic partners of government employees. This agreement was reached through the collective bargaining process, and affirmed by the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Governor Rick Snyder has said that he opposes this new benefit because of its supposed expense, though he does not have the legal authority to veto the decision to grant it. Unfortunately, if Republicans can muster 2/3 majorities in both houses of the Michigan Legislature, they can overturn this collectively negotiated benefit. Last week, the Michigan Senate approved a repeal of domestic partner benefits by the necessary supermajority, and now the Michigan House is considering the issue. The real reason Republicans want to reverse this decision is not fiscal, but social: they want to deny any measure of equality to LGBT state workers.
Just as unions were at the forefront of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, they have actively sought to advance LGBT equality through more inclusive labor agreements in the 21st century. Public sector unions in Michigan have been stalwart supporters of our community, recognizing that labor equity demands that all workers be treated equally, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Solidarity is the very hallmark of the labor movement, and it certainly represents the spirit of the LGBT community, too. Because of the regressive anti-gay marriage amendment passed by voters in Michigan in 2004, there are limits to what the state can do to protect the rights of LGBT couples. Thanks to the collective bargaining process and progressive unions, many public employees in our state can now enjoy a little more equality.
In the coming months, the Michigan Legislature will be focused on balancing the state budget. Many people are upset by various aspects of the governor's recent budget proposal. While Governor Snyder has not called for the elimination of collective bargaining in our state, he does support the effort to install emergency financial managers in fiscally-challenged communities, with the authority to rip up collective bargaining agreements in cities around the state. It is important to remind our state's governor that Michigan has a proud tradition of collective bargaining, and that budgets can be balanced without busting public employee unions.
Unions have been strong advocates for LGBT equality. Collectively bargained labor contracts have extended legal protections to many people who would otherwise be denied these rights because of discriminatory state laws. Many non-union employers have adopted equal employment practices based on what they've seen modeled in unionized settings. Until the leaders of Michigan recognize that legal discrimination against LGBTs is wrong and should be prohibited statewide, we will have to negotiate our legal rights with our employers. If the right to collectively bargain labor contracts is curtailed or eliminated, then the few legal protections that people in our community enjoy in the workplace will also go away. Michigan has a proud labor tradition, and it is something that all of us should embrace in this time of economic uncertainty.
Contact your Representative — urge him or her to support the MCSC's decision to grant domestic partner benefits to state employees:
Find your Michigan Representative:
http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
Contact Governor Snyder and let him know you support the collective bargaining process for all public employees in Michigan:
[email protected]
Phone: 517-335-7858
