ESCANABA -- Freedom to Work organizers are pushing for Michigan to become the very first Freedom to Work state in the Great Lakes region.
It's a statewide movement to garner support for a civil rights law that'll allow workers to make the decision whether or not they want to join a union.
The demonstrators said the issue was about freedom and jobs. They said Michigan is actually losing jobs to states where employees can decide whether or not they want to unionize.
"The next step would be to educate the public," said organizer Doug Sedenquist. "We are for public debate. So the people who may oppose this can get folks that they feel can debate the issue."
Some people in the group had family members who had to find jobs out of state to escape forced unionization in their area. They're hoping the legislation will be put to a vote in the Senate right after Labor Day.
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