In 2010, the Detroit Free Press endorsed Republican Rick Snyder in his race for Michigan governor. The paper’s editorial board said it believed Snyder’s promise that he would be a “new kind of governor…a pragmatist focused like a laser on initiatives that promised to raise standards of living for all Michiganders….In short, we trusted Snyder's judgment.” But in a scathing editorial denouncing Snyder’s “abrupt about face” in backing “right to work” for less legislation, the state’s largest newspaper wrote:

That trust has now been betrayed.

Workers from across Michigan and across the nation are gearing up for a day of action in Lansing on Tuesday. Tomorrow, you can show support for Michigan’s working families wherever you are. Wear red on Monday, Dec. 10, to support for Michigan’s working families. 

Many wondered why Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder changed his tune on "right to work" for less legislation abruptly this week. If you take a closer look at the makeup of the 2013 Michigan state legislature, the reason becomes clear.

Follow updates from Michigan on Twitter and if you're in Michigan, find an action near you: bit.ly/wearemichactions. 

Michigan State AFL-CIO is live-tweeting developments on the "right-to-work" for less legislation all weekend. Follow its live Twitter stream on the AFL-CIO Now blog. 

If you're in Michigan, find an action near you: bit.ly/wearemichactions. 

While thousands of Michiganders are protesting the "right to work" legislation being rammed through the state legislature by Republicans without any public input, more and more voices from all over the country are speaking out against the proposed bills. 

"10 Things to Know About What Happened in Michigan On Thursday" is a cross-post from the Working America Main Street blog. 

1.) The Michigan House and Senate yesterday passed so-called “right to work” bills. “Right to work” laws effectively defund the ability of workers to have a voice at their workplace. In 23 other states, these laws have lowered wages, weakened benefits, raised the poverty rate and led to increased workplace injuries and deaths. The House passed one such bill and the Senate passed two.

Michigan is poised to become the latest state to pass "right to work" for less legislation, a mislabeled policy that is designed to weaken the rights and wages of working families. As is often the case in recent years, extreme anti-worker legislation, like the law in Michigan, can be traced back to Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the group's founders Charles and David Koch, the billionaire brothers who fund a host of extreme right-wing organizations.

When billionaire CEOs ask a politician to jump, apparently the proper response is—if Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) is any indication—“how high?” Earlier this year, Snyder told the U.S. House education and Workforce Committee (see the video in this blog post):

Right-to-work is an issue that is a very divisive issue… we have many problems in Michigan that are much more pressing… I don't believe it is appropriate in Michigan during 2012.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Republican legislators are doing their best to ram through “right to work” for less legislation that passed the state House and Senate on Thursday, even going so far as shutting the Capitol’s doors on workers seeking to make their voices heard.

But final action on this assault on workers’ rights won’t come until next week, and if you are in Michigan, you can join the drive to protect workers’ rights by volunteering at the Michigan State AFL-CIO phone bank in Lansing today through Monday, Dec. 10.

Chris Savage is a Michigan-based political writer and owner of Eclectablog. You also can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and President Barack Obama spoke out against "right to work" for less legislation yesterday. These types of laws reduce wages and benefits for working families.  

Two days ago, I reported that Michigan Republicans, along with Gov. Rick Snyder, were planning on making Michigan the nation’s 24th “right to work” for Less (RTWFL) state by the end of the year. The timetable was, apparently, far more aggressive than that. The very next day after Snyder announced RTWFL was “on the table,” he held a joint press conference with House Speaker Jase Bolger and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville saying that he was asking for the legislation to be passed and that he would sign it into law.