Michigan Protesters Fight With Christmas Carols

Protesters descended on a Michigan mall yesterday wearing festive scarves and fake reindeer antlers and singing what appeared to be Christmas carols ... but instead of the lyrics you remember from "Frosty the Snowman," they were singing lines like, "Rick-y Snyder knew he couldn't get his way / so he took the votes from the working folks so the wealthy get our pay." The demonstrators were protesting the state's right-to-work bill, which would make paying union dues voluntary and which Republican Gov. Rick Snyder is set to sign tomorrow.

The protesters were forced to disperse after 15 minutes (while chanting "police need a raise!"), the Detroit Free Press reports, but organizers say much larger demonstrations are planned for tomorrow. President Obama will weigh in on the right-to-work issue today when he visits Michigan to talk about his plan to avert the fiscal cliff, the Huffington Post reports. Last week, the White House released a statement noting that Obama opposes right-to-work laws because he "believes our economy is stronger when workers get good wages and good benefits, and he opposes attempts to roll back their rights" by weakening labor unions. Today's official comment from the president should give activists a boost, the Huffington Post notes. (More right-to-work laws stories.)