Gov. Rick Snyder and Republican legislative leaders say they've exempted 6,000 police and 5,000 firefighter union members from having a choice whether to financially support their union because of special collective bargaining rights in state law and the constitution.

They also expressed concerns about creating divisions within the paramilitary ranks of first responders who rely on each other in life-and-death situations.

For the full article, see Chad Livengood, "GOP defends right-to-work exclusion of cop, fire unions", Detroit News, December 10, 2012.