Pursuing Worker Freedom in Michigan: Alan Jernigan on Real America’s Voice
There's a lot of work to do in Michigan, a lot of opportunity, to open the doors of opportunity for workers and really promote their freedom.
In a recent interview on Real America’s Voice with host Steve Gruber, Alan Jernigan, ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force Manager, discussed the decline in worker freedom in Michigan, citing the state’s repeal of right-to-work legislation and its ranking of 35th in the “States That Work” labor policy roadmap.
At the start of the interview, discussed the decline in worker freedom in Michigan, highlighting the repeal of right-to-work legislation as a significant step back.
” It truly is step back for worker freedom and the flexibility to just choose where the workers want their money to go, whether they want to join or financially support a union that should be a choice of theirs.”
Jernigan also noted that Michigan ranked 35th in the third edition of their labor publication, “States That Work,” due to such policies and now has the chance to correct its course.
“There’s a lot of work to do in Michigan, a lot of opportunity, to open the doors of opportunity for workers and really promote their freedom.”
Gruber than questioned how Michigan can promote worker freedom, especially when unions often prioritize their interests over those of workers. Jernigan outlined 10 key model policies aimed at promoting worker freedom, including allowing out-of-state workers to contribute immediately to Michigan’s economy.
“There’s some kind of common-sense policies in there, such as opening the doors for out of state workers, allowing people that have gotten licenses and gone through training and experience in another state to come into Michigan and be able to contribute to society and the economy immediately.”
The interview than concluded with Gruber asking about the future plans for promoting worker freedom in Michigan. Jernigan mentioned a recent bill introduced in the Michigan Senate to reinstate right-to-work legislation, which he believes would be a step forward.
“The plan is just to really kind of identify opportunities to improve worker freedom… I think that [legislation] could be a step forward for Michigan on the worker freedom and being able to really just return that freedom of choice to the workers. “