Michigan’s termination of its right-to-work law took effect Tuesday, and has one businessman calling the Democratic-led move an effort that will have workers "paying the price."
During an appearance on "The Big Money Show," Wednesday, former Michigan gubernatorial candidate and The Windquest Group Chairman Dick DeVos slammed the state’s Democratic-led legislature as "anti-American."
"It’s clearly about politics, policy, power and money," DeVos stated.
In March 2023, Michigan became the first state in 58 years to repeal its "right-to-work" law.
Democrats argued that the legislation allowed for "free riders" who received union representation without having to pay fees or dues. Without it, unions can now require all workers in a unionized workplace to pay fees for the cost of representation in bargaining.
MICHIGAN BECOMES FIRST STATE IN DECADES TO REPEAL 'RIGHT-TO-WORK' LAW
DeVos declared that workers should be able to choose whether they want to join a union, and that the Democrats’ decision to terminate that right is "politics as usual."
"Union membership has plummeted," DeVos said.
"Only about 10% of the labor force workforce in America today is unionized, and Michigan is just under 13%. So, what we’re seeing is a legislature favoring the 13% against others," he continued.
As a vocal critic of the state’s decision to repeal the law and chair of The Windquest Group, a family-owned investment firm headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, DeVos claimed that right-to-work legislation "massively improved things" for the Great Lakes State.
"Incomes went up. Jobs had been declining, [but] they started increasing and the population actually started growing again when we enacted right-to-work," he told "The Big Money Show" co-hosts.
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Now that the repeal has been set in motion, DeVos suggests that Michigan may lose its competitive edge and that the new disadvantage could lead to a major setback for the state’s residents.
"Right now, we've given them a gift. We've already seen at least two of our automobile plants relocated down into Indiana, which happens to be a right-to-work state, of course, and very business-friendly. So, the communities around Michigan are going to be beneficiaries," DeVos stressed.
DeVos expressed that the decision to terminate the 'right-to-work' law is "extraordinarily unfortunate."
"My friends, my neighbors in Michigan, are going to be paying the price for this very political decision," he said.
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FOX Business’ Julia Musto contributed to this report
