Michigan Voters to Weigh Repeal of Emergency Manager Law

Michigan voters will decide Tuesday whether to repeal a law that gives broad powers to emergency managers appointed by the governor to overhaul fiscally troubled cities.

The law is a signature piece of Gov. Rick Snyder's agenda, according to the Wall Street Journal. Snyder wants to keep the law, which passed last year, as a way to prod municipalities to deal with labor costs and avoid bankruptcy.

The ballot question, called Proposal 1, has had differing results in recent polls.

The law allows state officials to identify financial crises in local governments and schools while there is still an opportunity to put them back on a path to solvency.

Unions want the measure repealed because it gives emergency managers the power to unilaterally modify or terminate union contracts, as provided in the 2011 rewrite of the previous law.