Apr
2013 17
2013 17
Overlooked U.S.-to-Canada Bridge Approved by Obama, Expected to Create 20,000 Jobs
Another crucial step has been taken in the quest to build a bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Canada. The U.S. State Department has announced a presidential permit to the state of Michigan to accomplish this, signaling the final go-ahead before construction can begin. Construction of the long desired bridge has largely been held hostage by ...
Apr
2013 12
2013 12
Emails Reveal Top MI Officials are Undermining Unemployment Insurance Fraud Enforcement
In 2011, in order to get tough on residents who were abusing Unemployment Insurance in Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder lowered the monetary threshold for fraud from $25,000 to $3,500. However, since UIA, the agency in charge of monitoring such activity, faced the layoff of 300 workers last year it has been a struggle to keep ...
Apr
2013 8
2013 8
“Kentucky’s serious injury rate rose by 11% after the repeal of their prevailing wage law.”
Last week we highlighted a Dale Belman article which discussed a University of Utah study that supported prevailing wages. The topic is hot in Michigan as anti-worker legislators take aim at this important protection. Now, Michigan’s Laborers’ Union-affiliated Labor-Employers Cooperation & Education Trust (LECET) has weighed in on...
Mar
2013 22
2013 22
NOT SO FREE ENTERPRISE: Michigan GOP Tries to Slash Funding at Universities that Sign Labor Contracts Before “Right-to-Work” Takes Effect
Republicans in the Michigan statehouse have rushed a (de)funding bill through the higher education appropriations subcommittee? that would strip a total of $74.8 million from four state colleges that the party says authored union contracts to circumvent the state’s newly passed “Right-to-Work” law. Wait. They rushed something...
Feb
2013 13
2013 13
MI Gov Statements About Prevailing Wages Eerily Similar to Those He Made About “Right-to-Work”
With both the Michigan House and Senate putting forward legislation to repeal the state’s prevailing wage, all eyes are on Gov. Rick Snyder’s response to determine the likelihood of passage. So far, however, that response has been non-committal and has recalled his wishy-washy actions on the state’s new, hated...
Jan
2013 30
2013 30
TODAY IN WOW: MI Gov. Rick Snyder Suggests “Right-to-Work” Is Not “Relevant” to Michigan Economy
THIS JUST IN: “Right-to-Work” doesn’t really matter. At least that’s what Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder would suddenly like us to believe. During a speech to the Michigan Press Association, Snyder suggested his recent signing of “Right-to-Work” legislation has nothing to do with jobs or the economy despite the...
Jan
2013 15
2013 15
Michigan Looking to Add “F*ck the Worker Specialists” to the State Payroll
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder appears to be taking biased action to protect his newly-signed “Right-to-Work” law by adding new levels of bureaucracy to the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department. The Governor has created two new positions boasting job descriptions that aim to justify and prove the value of “Right-to-Work”...
Jan
2013 14
2013 14
What Has “Right-to-Work” Brought Indiana? Increased Union Solidarity and an Enhanced Value Proposition.
When the Michigan legislature began its new session last week union activists welcomed the lawmakers back to the capital in a “walk of shame” rally intended to remind them that their brazen anti-worker agenda during the lame duck session which yielded “Right-to-Work” would not be met with pacifism. Michigan lawmakers are...
Dec
2012 18
2012 18
At 2AM Last Friday, Michigan Changed its Recall Laws to “Inoculate” the GOP
In their now infamous “lame duck” session, Michigan Republicans have pushed a heavily partisan agenda that has upset a massive portion of constituents. Now, the opportunity to express that displeasure is being revoked via a watered down and handcuffed recall process. New legislation, once again wedged through in the middle of the...
Dec
2012 14
2012 14
More Incredibly Frustrating Pieces of Information Regarding Michigan “Right-to-Work” (plus, History!)
This week, in a matter of literal days, Michigan went from “Romney lost his home state hahahaha” to “Wisconsin 2011 but worse.” A radical agenda has been ushered through the lame-duck session that will permanently effect the economic landscape of the state, all in the interest of wealthy donors and the select few. A...
Dec
2012 13
2012 13
“Union dues isn’t even the right term here. In Michigan, for instance, you can work in a union shop without joining the union and paying full union dues. The costs of the union’s political activities, its membership events, and more are removed from your dues. You pay a lower fee, because you’re just paying, at least in theory, the cost of the union’s representation activities.”
Just wanted to clear that up. Thanks, Ezra...
Dec
2012 13
2012 13
WHILE YOU WERE PROTESTING: Michigan House Re-Passes the Emergency Financial Manager Law Voters Repealed at the Ballot a Month Ago
This is just beyond the pale. While the state of Michigan spent the week rallying against the anti-democratic passage of a wage-crushing “Right-to-Work” law, another piece of legislation that Michigan voters successfully repealed at the ballot box this November — the unpopular Emergency Financial Manager Law — was sent on...
