President Obama sent a request to Congress asking for $60.4 billion to fund Hurricane Sandy storm recovery efforts. The request is expected to be introduced in legislation next week and will be debated after that.

It seems appropriate that after Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) shepherded through the state House and Senate the right-wing extremist and corporate CEO backed  “right to work” for less legislation—that he had long-called "too divisive" to pursue—without any public input, that he would sign the measure in secret yesterday.

Here are some details of the legislation that, if it follows the pattern of “right to work” laws in other states, will lower the standard of living for Michigan workers. 

Gov. Rick Snyder just signed the "right to work" for less bills into law (S.B. 0116 and H.B. 4003). Gov. Snyder and House Republicans rammed through  “right to work” for less legislation with no input from the voters. 

 AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement:

Geoconda Arguello-Kline, a former housekeeper and Nicaraguan refugee, today was named secretary-treasurer of Culinary Workers Union Local 226 of UNITE HERE in Las Vegas. Arguello-Kline is the first Latina leader of the union and will represent 60,000 hotel and restaurant workers. 

UPDATE: Republican Michigan lawmakers who’ve rammed “right to work” for less legislation through the state House and Senate, didn’t have to do much original work in drafting the anti-worker law.  They just turned to model legislation playbook from the extremist American Legislative Council (ALEC) and copied verbatim. Take a look at this side-by-side comparison from our friends at the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).

The UAW will live-stream portions of the march and rally in Lansing, Mich. Here is the Ustream link and you can visit the UAW Facebook page for live-streaming updates.

We’ll also bring you updates throughout the day on the AFL-CIO Now blog and you also can follow the action from Michigan AFL-CIO on Twitter.     

The Michigan House just passed the second “right to work” for less bill by a 58-52 vote. The latest action was on legislation applying to private-sector workers. It followed earlier action on a measure applying to public employees.

But the Detroit Free Press reports that in a parliamentary maneuver, the House Republicans asked for a reconsideration of the bill to keep Democrats from asking for the same thing, which would have delayed final passage until Wednesday. Technically, the Republicans could remove that request later today and the bills will automatically head to Gov. Rick Snyder.

By a 58-51 vote minutes ago, the Michigan House approved "right to work" for less legislation. The bill applies to public employees and the House will vote on a second bill for private-sector workers next.  

Thousands of workers are inside and outside the state Capitol in Lansing in what the Detroit Free Press says may be the biggest demonstration ever there. As soon as the vote was announced, the House gallery began chanting, “Shame on You.”  

President Obama today slammed the Michigan Republicans' and Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) drive to ram through so-called right to work bills that Obama said, “[d]on't have to do with economics. They have everything to do with politics."

What they're talking about is giving you the right to make less money….What we shouldn't be doing is try to take away your rights to bargain for better wages or working conditions.

Thousands of union members, community activists and workers’ rights advocates will march on the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday as the state legislature is expected to take its final step in ramming through—without public debate or hearings—a divisive “right to work” for less bill.

The action—organized by a growing coalition of labor, community, faith and other groups—will begin at 8 a.m. at the Lansing Center at 333 E. Michigan Avenue and the march to the state Capitol kicks off at 9 a.m. For more information, visit WeAreMich.org.

A proposed bill in Ohio would require a court to consider a person's military service when sentencing for misdemeanor or felony charges, the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council in Ohio reports. A judge would have to take into account whether the offender has an emotional, mental or physical condition that can be traced to military service that contributed to the commission of the crime. 

The bipartisan bill, S.B. 330, proposed by state Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman), passed in the state Senate 33-0. S.B. 330 will go to the Ohio House to be voted on before the end of the lame-duck legislative session.