Michigan’s new “Right-to-work” laws were violently protested by union members and resulted in an attack on conservative pundit Steven Crowder; Crowder has now filed a formal complaint with the Michigan State Troopers.

The impact of this state’s actions are being felt as far away as the West Coast. California State University – Fullerton student Keith Fierro shares his thoughts on the  protest in Michigan.

Steven Crowder, a Fox News contributor, was punched repeatedly in the face while interviewing union protesters. The conservative organization Americans For Prosperity had their tent torn down by protesters. People were still inside as the mob knocked it down. Local hot dog vendor, Clint Tarver, had his set up attacked by protesters who flung racial slurs at him.

….There’s something to be said for what the Lansing mob was trying to hide by their violence: right-to-work legislation is a fantastic choice for states to make.

Right-to-work states are able to attract businesses (i.e. rich people, the 1%, etc.) and that leads to increased investment in the state. States plagued with union activity often perform less impressive economically for the very reason that “[u]nionized firms earn lower profits, invest less, and create fewer jobs than comparable nonunion firms.” Investors look for right-to-work states before trying to create jobs. Ask yourself why Boeing decided to build in South Carolina instead of Washington State.

Right-to-work states consistently see lower unemployment than other union-dominated states. Last year, the difference in unemployment was between nearly 10% in states without right-to-work laws and 9.2% in states with them. When comparing counties along the borders of states (one right-to-work, the other non-right-to-work), University of Minnesota economist, Thomas J. Holmes, found manufacturing jobs one-third higher in the county with right-to-work laws.

It’s often touted as gospel how much higher the wages are in union states. For a couple reasons, this shouldn’t matter all that much. Democrat-controlled states institute liberal policies, including the manipulation of wages earned. Artificially raising wages through these liberal policies have never truly benefited any group, including the poor (read more on this here).

With this news, Fierro becomes another Californian planning to flee the state:

Last year I had a job that payed about a dollar above the minimum wage. I was making more than most people in the entire country with minimum-wage-level occupations. Oh, and by the way, I live in the economic wasteland of California. Californians and other blue state residents are fleeing en masse for more business friendly states (I hear Michigan is lovely this time of year).