Romney’s campaign, meanwhile, blasted out memos declaring, “I won’t give in to the UAW,’’ and calling Santorum “big labor’s favorite senator.’’
Romney’s attacks on labor carry some risk in Michigan, where he is trying to broaden his appeal to blue-collar voters before the state’s Feb. 28 primary. About 17.5 percent of all of Michigan’s workers are union members - the fifth-highest rate of any state, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state’s primary is also open to independents and Democrats. In the past, some Democratic union members have crossed over to sway the Republican outcome. But union leaders said they have no plans to meddle in the GOP primary and are planning simply to ignore Romney’s rhetoric.
“We don’t want to sabotage their primary,’’ said Albert Garrett, president of the Michigan chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “We think whoever they select won’t be good for workers in Michigan.’’
In the general election, he said, unions will ramp up and make “very clear how we feel about Mr. 1 Percent, Mitt Romney.’’
Some political allies of labor said Romney’s assault on unions and the United Auto Workers could backfire.
“There are a lot of union members in Michigan who vote Republican,’’ said state Representative Brandon Dillon, a Grand Rapids Democrat and strong labor backer. “He’s totally miscalculating where voters are in the state.’’
Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan, who endorsed Romney yesterday, has pointedly avoided joining fellow Republican governors in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Indiana who have waged major battles against union protections in their states. Snyder, who is facing reelection in 2014, has said he considers right-to-work legislation, which would bar unions from charging nonmember workers for representation, “very divisive’’ and not “appropriate in Michigan during 2012.’’
