LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University professor and labor apologist Charles Ballard is serving up his take on how Michigan’s change to right-to-work status is impacting the state just one year later.

Ballard, who’s known for his labor-friendly views, told Bridge Magazine right-to-work laws haven’t had much of an impact on Michigan’s economy because union membership was already on the decline. Gov. Rick Snyder signed right-to-work legislation into law last December, which means Michigan workers can no longer be forced to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.

“Other forces that have weakened unions for the last 60 years are far more important than this,” Ballard told Bridge Magazine. “If you draw a graph, the decline of manufacturing looks a lot like unions as a percentage of the labor force.”

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

Ballard contends right-to-work “is not a game-changer because the game had already changed,” according to the magazine.

Michigan Economic Development Corporation spokeswoman Emily Palsrok, however, said right-to-work laws, combined with business tax cuts and deregulation, have helped to produce 200,000 jobs since 2009.

Others contend it’s far too early to judge the economic impact of the state’s new right-to-work status, which only applies to union contracts negotiated after March 28, 2013. It’s not until after contracts negotiated before that time expire that some workers and companies will enjoy the benefits of right-to-work protections.

And it may take some time for out-of-state firms to relocate to Michigan, partially due to right-to-work laws.

“On a lot of these projects, it’s not uncommon to have a one- or two-year time frame,” Tracey Hyatt Bosman, a managing director at a New Jersey-based corporate site selection firm, told Bridge Magazine. “It takes a bit of time for these projects to come through.”

That makes sense, especially since Big Labor groups had publicly considered an attempt to repeal the law though a ballot proposal.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

Many Michigan unions are reporting that Michigan’s right-to-work laws have had little impact on their membership, but anecdotal evidence suggests unions are desperate to hold on to members. In some incidences, union officials have threatened to tarnish the credit of teachers and other employees that refuse to pay dues, according to media reports.

Despite a Michigan State University study that shows more Michigan residents are in favor of right-to-work laws than oppose them, Ballard somehow draws the conclusion there are nefarious motivations behind the change.

“Supporters of right-to-work felt compelled to represent it as something that was an economic move,” Ballard told Bridge Magazine. “You couldn’t very well say, ‘Why are we doing this? To reward my political friends and punish my political enemies.’ That doesn’t make a very good press release,” Ballard said.

Many other experts agree right-to-work will undoubtedly bring new opportunities to the Great Lakes State.

“Bosman said right-to-work status is one of many factors firms weigh in relocation decisions. But she said for some firms, particularly manufacturers, Michigan might get a look it would not otherwise enjoy,” Bridge Magazine reports.

“A number of clients will say, ‘Don’t even look at someplace that’s not right to work,’” Bosman said.