Sen. Rand Paul congratulates Michigan on new right-to-work law

• Tweet
• 
• 

• Tweet

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky on Tuesday congratulated the heavily-unionized state of Michigan after its legislature approved a so-called “right-to-work” bill.

“I offer my congratulations to the Michigan state legislature on their hard work on and passage of freedom in the workplace legislation, and to Gov. Rick Snyder for signing these bills into law, making Michigan the country’s 24th Right to Work state,” Paul said in a statement. “No one should be forced to join or pay dues in order to work. Voluntary associations will both preserve worker freedom and allow greater cooperation between employers and employees.”

Though the libertarian-leaning senator frequently decries the excesses of big government and economic regulations, he apparently supports inserting the government between management and labor. The new law severely weaken unions by allowing workers to benefit from collective bargaining agreements without paying union dues — giving rise to a free rider problem.

“This is good for Michigan taxpayers who share the goal of more efficient government and lower taxes – and it is just the thing Michigan needs to jumpstart their struggling economy. I support this goal on the national and state level, and look forward to Kentucky joining Michigan in the near future,” Paul added.