Obama takes swing at ‘Right to Work’ during Labor Day speech in Detroit

President Barack Obama signaled the opening of the 2012 presidential election season with a Labor Day speech in Detroit in which he took aim at ‘Right to Work’ legislation.

Here’s what Obama said, according to a transcript released by the White House:

When working families are doing well, when they’re getting a decent wage and they’re getting decent benefits, that means they’re good customers for businesses. (Applause.) That means they can buy the cars that you build. (Applause.) That means that you can buy the food from the farmers. That means you can buy from Silicon Valley. You are creating prosperity when you share in prosperity. (Applause.)

So when I hear some of these folks trying to take collective bargaining rights away, trying to pass so-called “right to work” laws for private sector workers –

AUDIENCE: Booo –

THE PRESIDENT: –that really mean the right to work for less and less and less — when I hear some of this talk I know this is not about economics. This is about politics.

Republicans in the legislature have said they intend on working for passage of ‘Right to Work’ legislation in the coming fall session. Gov. Rick Snyder has said he would sign such legislation but “I would not put it on my agenda.”