The Michigan Supreme Court will decide whether Michigan’s right to work law applies to state civil service workers.
As The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Rick Pluta explains, the court heard a challenge Tuesday that was filed by state employee unions.
William Weirtheimer is a union attorney. He says it’s in the Michigan Constitution – only the state Civil Service Commission has authority over civil service workers.
“The Legislature is not allowed to meddle with the classified service,” he says.
Assistant state Attorney General Ann Sherman says the civil service can’t ignore laws adopted by the Legislature and signed by the governor -- that includes state minimum wage and workplace safety laws, and right-to-work.
“The Civil Service Commission is not a fourth branch of government,” she says.