Labor tries new tactic

Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.

It’s hardly a return to the Depression era, when company guards roughed up labor organizers at auto plants. But times are tough for unions in the Rust Belt, even in a longtime bastion such as Michigan. Here, emergency managers have been given the power to throw out union contracts in financially struggling cities. Neighboring Wisconsin has stripped public employees of collective bargaining rights, and Indiana has approved “right-to-work” legislation.

Now, after a series of setbacks at the hands of Republican governors and legislatures, labor is attempting a bold gambit in hopes of regaining some momentum: a first-of-its-kind ballot initiative in the Nov. 6 election that would put collective-bargaining rights in the Michigan constitution — and out of lawmakers’ reach.

If successful, the strategy could serve as a model for other states, encouraging unions to bypass hostile officeholders and take their case directly to the voters. Twenty-one states allow citizens to vote on proposed laws, and 18 permit their constitutions to be amended through referendums.

“We’re working hard to get this passed. We’re not going to leave any resources on the table because it could be a harbinger of things to come across the country,” said John Armelagos, 57, a registered nurse in Ann Arbor and activist in the campaign for the initiative.

Although four other states guaranteed bargaining rights in their constitutions decades ago, none did so through a statewide ballot initiative. The initiative route has been used successfully by other interest groups for everything from banning gay marriage and affirmative action to guaranteeing hunting rights.