DING DING DING. That's one big problem with this state. I also believe approx 60 or 70 years of Union wage scares potential manufacturers away. As far as infrastructure, we've got all that and have had it for some time. That's not an issue.

Between states offering outright tax incentives to the companies, and the fact that the COLA in those areas and tax burdens are also low for employees (and when Toyota went into Georgetown, KY back in the 80's while a huge number of area people were hired for the line, hundreds of other employees that worked at the company level moved in-that whole area has grown tremendously since I moved away).

Even if Michigan were more competitive wage wise, there are other incentives that draw companies to places like Georgia and South Carolina.

Now before all you right wing demagogues(sp?)(tongue in cheek)jump all over this long time Union Carpenter, have you paid attention to which states seem to have the biggest problems with illegal immigration? Not that we don't have some of those same problems here in the "Show Me State"... I make 31.40 an hour (when I work), with overtime, with pension, with health care, with SS, with taxes being taken out, with unemployment ins, with workmen's comp, with... You get the idea. Here is the flip side:

None of the above. Which one would you give up? Don't have it already? Join a union. But....

How is my boss,(a good law abiding American) supposed to compete with their boss? (make no mistake, it is not only "illegal immigrants" who work this way)

Apparently, many of you think a "right to work" for a "competitive wage" equals the right to slowly "starve" while those on top reap the benefits of your hard labor.

Someday, we will all re-awaken to the fact that there is another right: Collective Bargaining.

You don't like paying union dues? Don't. I am sure Wal-Mart can find a place for you as a door greeter.

tom

ps: last I heard, it was against the law for a Union to use your dues for the furtherance of a political candidate.

I remember a visiting professor from Univ. Mich. School of Law talking about the right to work laws. He said it was a misnomer because you had the same right in Michigan. You didn't have to join the union until you had been on the job for 90 days. So in his mind, you could just change jobs every 90 days and it was all the same if you didn't want to join the union.

I also remember the look on his face when I asked him if he saw a problem with the university taking 0.5% of his pay out to donate to the republican party. After a bit of back and forth of "no they don't", "sure they do, look at your pay stub", he allowed he started getting mad because they shouldn't be forcing him to support the republicans (dark days of the evil RayGun and his plot to blow up the world by putting medium range nukes in Europe). I then asked why it was okay to force a someone to join a union, part of his dues going to support democrats he didn't support but not to force professors to support republicans. Of course, the university really didn't take 0.5% out of the paycheck and if they did they would have been giving it to democrats back in those days (Tower being the only state wide elected republican).

Maybe it's also a consideration that Michigan is REALLY REALLY COLD?

Sure. That's the "good weather" part.