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Union activists scored a major victory Tuesday when Michigan Democrats voted again to repeal "right-to-work" in Michigan and reinstate the state's prevailing wage law, sending the legislation to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature.

Right-to-work allows those in unionized jobs to opt out of paying union dues and fees. Republicans in the state put the law on the books in 2012 amid massive protests by labor advocates who argue it weakens unions and erodes their bargaining power.

Republicans repealed Michigan's prevailing wage law in 2018. Democrats want to reinstate it to require union-level wages and benefits for workers on state-funded construction projects.

The state House previously voted on its own set of bills earlier this month while the Senate Democrats took up their bills last week. Votes Tuesday in both chambers to tweak the final versions of the bills brought them across the finish line. All bills passed on party-line votes.

The following bills are poised to head to Whitmer's desk:

Whitmer is expected to sign the legislation.

More:Michigan Senate Democrats pass bills repealing right-to-work law

More:Michigan House passes bills to repeal right-to-work

Democrats attached appropriations to the bills for the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to respond to public questions about the legislation and implement the changes. The spending included in the legislation means voters won't have an opportunity to subject any of the bills signed into law to a referendum.

The move mirrors what Republicans did in 2012 when they passed right-to-work.

At the outset of her first term, Whitmer promised to veto legislation that circumvents the referendum process. But it does not appear she will issue a line-item veto to remove the spending from the bills before signing them.

"The governor intends to sign legislation restoring workers' rights as passed by the Legislature," said a spokesperson for Whitmer.

Free Press staff writer Arpan Lobo contributed to this article.

Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA.Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.

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Michigan Democrats vote once more to repeal right-to-work - Detroit Free Press