Proposal 2 amends the state constitution regarding collective bargaining.

This proposal on the Nov. 6 ballot would:

• Grant public and private employees the constitutional right to organize and bargain collectively through labor unions.

• Invalidate existing or future state or local laws that limit the ability to join unions and bargain collectively and to negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements, including employees’ financial support of their labor unions. Laws may be enacted to prohibit public employees from striking.

• Override state laws regulating hours and conditions of employment to the extent that those laws conflict with collective bargaining agreements.

• Define “employer” as a person or entity employing one or more employees.

People voting yes say protecting collective bargaining should be a constitutional right for workers to assist employees in negotiating a fair contract and to protect their rights.

Collective bargaining should not just be a right provided to certain employees, but should be extended to all employees regardless of their employer.

Proposal 2 would protect public and private employees’ jobs, wages and benefits by making collective bargaining a constitutional right.

No voters counter that this amendment limits or eliminates the state’s ability to regulate labor activities for public and private employees alike.

This proposal would repeal an unidentified number of existing laws affecting both employees and job providers and would have an unknown impact on this relationship.

A 30-year small business owner in the audience at a Tea Party forum in Ontwa Township Oct. 2 said, “As soon as I hired my first employee, my paperwork went through the roof.

This is probably the greatest job-killer you can imagine. Given this law, if I was starting out, I would not hire employee one. I’d either run it myself or automate before I added that additional burden of all the garbage the federal government dumps on you when you take on employees.”

Sen. John Proos said Attorney General Bill Schuette advised Gov. Rick Snyder in a July 20 memo that 170 public acts on the books would be repealed or subject to change.