News Story

Right-to-Work Event Marred By Protesters Spitting At Worker Freedom Advocates

Union activists and supporters disrupt event where Mackinac Center expert was invited to speak

Union activists and big labor supporters who were upset that people were gathering in Vancouver, Wash., to talk about worker freedom resorted to violence and intimidation Thursday night, which resulted in a Mackinac Center for Public Policy employee getting spat upon.

F. Vincent Vernuccio, labor policy director at the Mackinac Center, was invited by The Freedom Foundation in Washington and the Cascade Policy Institute in Oregon to speak about the benefits of worker freedom. However, he didn't even get out of his car before he was confronted by protesters.

About 30 protesters holding anti-right-to-work and other signs with union logos and slogans greeted cars entering the parking lot of Clark College, he said. Once in the lot, Vernuccio said he rolled down his window to shake hands with someone, but instead was spat upon by a protester holding a union sign.

He apparently was not alone.

Max Nelsen, labor policy analyst for The Freedom Foundation, said others also were spat at, had their cars stopped by protesters who jumped in front of the vehicles and had their car windshields covered with signs.

Eventually, the protesters made their way inside the building where they yelled at people and chanted union slogans (watch the video here).

Police were called and one person was arrested, said Sgt. Greg Raquer of the Vancouver Police Department.

"The protesters, too cowardly to engage in civilized debate, instead screamed at event organizers and attendees," Trent England, executive vice president of the Freedom Foundation, posted on the group's website.

Those tactics won't help the labor movement, Vernuccio said.

"A year ago, a simple event talking about the policy implications of labor reform may not have garnered much attention." Vernuccio said. "The fact that big labor was so worried about the right-to-work event Thursday shows that the inevitable march of worker freedom is spreading across the country." 

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.

News Story

'Special Interest' Campaign Rhetoric Doesn't Match With Reality

As a legislator, Mark Schauer voted to approve tax breaks and subsidies to plenty of favored businesses

Despite the gubernatorial election being more than a year away, Michigan voters already are being inundated with campaign promises and statements that often aren't tied to reality.

Democratic challenger Mark Schauer, for example, launched his campaign with comments directed at stopping "special interests."

"It's time to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the special interests,” Schauer was quoted as saying in an MLive story in May.

Rallying against special interests is a common political theme and a bipartisan complaint made by candidates. 

Gov. Snyder campaigned on extensively curtailing the state's economic development tools, many of which dole out tax breaks and incentives to government's favored industries, but he has fallen short of that, says James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

But Schauer doesn't have much room to criticize the governor. In his years as a state senator, Schauer had a long history of voting in favor of tax incentives for favored businesses. Schauer voted for one of the largest tax incentives the state has offered — the state's film tax credits program that has given movie production companies $213.8 million as of March 1.

Schauer voted to approve tax breaks and subsidies in scores of bills that targeted specific companies that varied from warehouses, groceries, technology companies and solar and wind companies.

In 2003, Schauer and the senate voted 38-0 to pass a bill that allowed a tax break for Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford for a new hotel and restaurant that was to be built adjacent to Ford Field.

In 2008, Schauer and the senate voted 35-1 to grant $40 million in subsidies to companies that do "energy technology projects."

Schauer’s campaign didn't respond to a request for comment.

Crony capitalism is a bipartisan problem in Lansing and Washington, said Jack McHugh, senior legislative analyst for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

"Each side has its preferred classes of corporate beneficiaries, and routinely scratch each other's back to deliver the boodle," McHugh said. "Moreover, as government grows the amount of political class self-dealing appears to be expanding even more rapidly. If regular people across the political spectrum could see just how self-serving the entire operation has become we would see tea partyers and occupiers marching on capitols arm-in-arm."

Sara Wurfel, Gov. Snyder's spokeswoman, didn't respond to a request for comment.

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See also:

CapCon Coverage of Corporate Welfare

CapCon Coverage of the State Film Subsidy Program

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.