As Republican members of the Michigan House and Senate were passing right to work bills into law inside the Capitol, supporters and protesters were clashing outside.
The two clips below feature Americans for Prosperity’s Michigan director Scott Hagerstrom, who had reserved space on the Capitol steps to express support for the right-to-work legislation. He was immediately surrounded by union protesters.
In this first clip, Scott dedicates the day and the legislation “to the memory of Andrew Breitbart, one of the people that will stand up for freedom and liberty.” (Warning: clips contain some NSFW language)
In this next clip, the protesters surrounding Mr. Hagerstrom have become completely unhinged. In addition to screaming obscenities at him, one individual calls him a “fascist” and then attempts to perform an impromptu exorcism.
The union protesters’ behavior did nothing to stop the bills moving through the legislature. The House passed one bill and the Senate passed two–one directed at public sector employees, the other at those in the private sector. Both bills will eliminate automatic dues collection by unions, giving workers the choice whether to join the union or not. Police and firefighters were exempted from the legislation.
By law the House now has to wait five days to take up the Senate bills, meaning they should be approved and ready for the Governor’s signature next Tuesday.