A reminder that Pete Hoekstra's Saginaw Grassroots Fundraiser will be on Tuesday, July 31st at the Willow Tree Restaurant, 4751 Fashion Square Mall, Saginaw.  The event runs from 6:00-8:00pm and is free. For more information, contact Matt Kooiman at or 616-301-3105.

Government unions have picked a fight with all of us as they try to put into the Michigan Constitution an amendment that will prohibit our right to work on our own terms.  They have gathered petition signatures to place a question on the November 6, 2012 ballot. This so-called "Protect Our Jobs Amendment" would effectively prohibit the legislature from making any laws regarding unions, and let Federal laws prevail.  The proposal would also roll back several key labor freedom, frugal government and education reform laws that were passed in the past two years, including:

• laws that stopped forced unionism of home health care workers, university student teachers and research assistants,
• a prohibition on tax dollars being spent to collect union dues and political action funds,
• a law that requires government employees to pay a portion of their health care and pension costs, like the rest of us do.

Because of this pending amendment, there are approximately 80 bills still pending and frozen as legislative leaders wait for the outcome in November.  This inaction was precisely one of the stated goals for the unions as they announced this effort.

Michigan Freedom To Work reports that Michigan government union bosses have assurances from the international unions that they will have all the resources needed to fund this fight and they may spend upwards of $50 million, to force you and I to belong to unions even when we do not want to.  As proof that many people would opt out of unions if given the chance: In Wisconsin 54% of AFCME union members dropped out of the government union in the first eleven months after given the opportunity.  The issue is important to unions because in Michigan there are about 627,000 union members, who have about $500 Million taken out of their paychecks each year for union dues and PAC money. If a mere 25% decided they will not fund the unions' far left agenda, these people could give themselves an immediate 2% raise and pull about $125 Million out of the pockets of the union bosses.