House Bill 4451 amends current law regarding unlawful employer practices during labor disputes. This bill prohibits employers from offering or granting permanent replacement employee status to individuals who perform work during a labor dispute. It also makes it unlawful for employers to give employment preference to individuals who worked or were willing to work during a dispute, over employees who were part of the labor dispute and have offered to return to work. This aims to protect the jobs of employees who participate in collective bargaining activities during a strike.
House Bill 4454 amends Michigan law regarding collective bargaining for public employees. It allows the Michigan Employment Relations Commission to certify a labor organization as the exclusive bargaining representative for public employees. This can occur if, after a petition, investigation, and hearing, the commission determines that more than 50% of employees in an appropriate unit wish to be represented by that organization. This bill introduces an alternative path for certification, distinct from the existing requirement for a secret ballot election in certain representation disputes.
HB 4452 amends Michigan law concerning labor disputes. It introduces a new provision making it an unfair labor practice for an employer to relocate, cease, or subcontract operations within one year after its employees elect a bargaining representative. This means employers would be prohibited from making these specific operational changes shortly after employees unionize. The bill also outlines the process for the labor commission to investigate, hear, and remedy such unfair labor practices.
HB 4458 amends existing law concerning public employee labor relations. The bill would prohibit public employers from ceasing or subcontracting all or part of their operations within one year after their employees elect a bargaining representative. This aims to protect newly formed bargaining units from immediate operational changes by the employer. The measure directly affects public employers and their employees who have recently chosen a union or bargaining representative.
SB 319 amends Michigan's public employee collective bargaining law to require that minimum staffing levels within a bargaining unit become a mandatory topic for negotiation between public employers and employee representatives. This applies specifically to public employees covered under 1969 PA 312 (which includes most state and local government workers like teachers, nurses, and first responders), making staffing levels a required subject of bargaining alongside wages and hours. The bill includes a limited exception: if a public employer faces reduced state funding or property tax revenue, it may choose whether to negotiate staffing levels, but must otherwise include them in bargaining. The change directly affects public sector workplaces where employee bargaining units exist, ensuring staffing levels cannot be unilaterally set by employers without negotiation.
HB 5005 amends Michigan's unemployment benefits law to clarify when workers who leave jobs without notice may still qualify for benefits. It adds a new exception (subsection (iv)) allowing domestic violence victims to claim benefits without disqualification, provided they meet requirements under Section 29a. The bill also reinforces that workers absent for 3+ consecutive days without contacting their employer are presumed to have left voluntarily - unless they qualify for one of the specified exceptions. This change directly affects workers who leave employment due to domestic violence or other qualifying circumstances, ensuring they can access benefits without penalizing their former employers financially.
This House resolution (HR 152) opposes the Trump administration's actions that would terminate federal workers without just cause and eliminate their right to collectively bargain. It specifically targets executive orders from March 2025 that banned collective bargaining for nearly a million federal employees. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Weiss and referred to the Government Operations Committee, is a symbolic statement urging the administration to cease these actions. It does not create new law but expresses legislative disapproval of policies affecting federal workers' job security and labor rights.
HB 5141 amends Section 2 of Michigan's 1939 Labor Relations Act (MCL 423.2) by removing specific exclusions from the definition of "employee." This change would extend labor protections to workers previously excluded, including domestic workers, agricultural laborers, and certain supervisors. The bill directly affects these workers by ensuring they fall under the act's coverage for organizing, collective bargaining, and dispute resolution. It makes a concrete policy change to the legal definition without altering other provisions of the law.
HB 5290 requires public employers to negotiate minimum staffing levels as a mandatory topic in collective bargaining agreements for firefighters and other public employees covered under Michigan's 1969 firefighting safety law (MCL 423.231-423.247). This change applies specifically to units where employees face firefighting hazards, making staffing levels part of required negotiations. Employers may opt out of bargaining on staffing levels only if they face budget shortfalls from state revenue or property tax declines, or if a millage increase would be needed to cover costs. The bill amends sections 11 and 15 of Michigan's 1947 Public Employment Relations Act to update mandatory bargaining requirements.
