Michigan's swift conversion to a right-to-work state has galvanized advocates of the law, who vow to seek similar legislation nationwide under the battle cry: "If it can happen in Michigan, it can happen anywhere."

The next logical targets are Michigan's rust-belt neighbors that also have Republican governors and legislatures — Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The right-to-work forces are on the move even if lawmakers in those states express reluctance, as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder once did.

They see labor's defeat in the birthplace of the United Auto Workers as the defining domino to lead the industrial Midwest into an era where it can compete with non-unionized southern states for jobs and prosperity.