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Detroit News Editorials

By Mark Gaffney, President
Michigan AFL-CIO

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    JOBS, JUSTICE,
       AND PEACE

      DETROIT MARCH

Commemorating the historic

Walk to Freedom led by

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Detroit in 1963

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Labor Now

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
News for working families
  • Mother Jones Takes to the Stage
     
       

    “Eighty years after her death, Mother Jones’ howl for safe mines and responsible corporations still echoes,” writes LA Weekly’s Amy Nicholson in a review of  the play, “The Most Dangerous Woman in America: Machine Guns, Coal Dust, Mother Jones and the Making of the American Dream.”

    Written by David Christie and performed by Actors’ Equity (AEA) member Therese Diekhans, the one-woman drama won the Best Solo Show award at the Hollywood Fringe festival in June.

    It’s now set for two more performances in Everett, Wash., (just a 26-mile shot from Seattle, straight up I-5) next weekend, Sept. 11 and 12. The performances are half-price for union members and free for union members on strike (location info here).

    Writing in the LA Theater Review, Kat Primeau says Diekhans’ charming, studied performance:

    playfully brings to life 15 characters, from children mill workers to John D. Rockefeller, as the audience learns the true cost of Big Business cost-cutting in early 20th century mining towns. Mother Jones’ rallying speeches on apathy and revolution are particularly poignant amidst contemporary woes.

    Visit Diekhans’ website here.

  • Labor Day 2010: America’s Workers Losing Ground
     
       

    The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) this week published three reports showing the extent to which America’s workers are losing ground this Labor Day: People are dropping out of the workforce because there are no jobs and those workers who have jobs are earning less.

    First, there are not nearly enough new jobs. Nearly 15 million workers are unemployed, nearly a quarter of whom have been seeking work for more than a year. Even though unemployment rose slightly to 9.6 percent last month, it’s 0.5 percent less than it was last October. But that’s not because the economy has been generating that many jobs. EPI economist Heidi Shierholz found that the percentage of people who were actually employed held steady even as the population increased. Translation: The improvement in the unemployment rate has been almost entirely due to people dropping out of (or not entering) the labor force because of the lack of jobs. Check out Shierholz’s report, “Employment Growth Continues Subpar Performance,” here. 

    And those who are working are making less. Wages for the typical worker have collapsed. In “Recession Hits Workers’ Paychecks,” Shierholz and EPI President Lawrence Mishel show that workers who have managed to keep their jobs or find new ones during the economic downturn have suffered from stagnant or no wage growth.

    Wages are growing half as fast as they were immediately prior to the recession. That’s true in almost all occupations. The numbers were worse for men than women. In fact, the median income for an average working household fell between 2000 and 2007 by more than $2,000. This report, which you can find here, is the first in a series of reports leading up to the launch of EPI’s much anticipated “State of Working America” volume and revamped website in January 2011.

    Finally, EPI has released a handy new tool that gives a clear statistical picture of the recession in one place. Labor Day by the Numbers is a chart that lists pertinent facts about the economy in a quick, compact form with links to previous EPI reports.

    For example, the section dealing with the unemployment rate shows the number of people who are jobless, the portion who have been unemployed for six months or a year, the number who are underemployed and other key facts. You can check out the chart here.

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Hire MichiganFirst

Hire Michigan First !

A Simple Concept:  Use Michigan money for Michigan workers!

Be sure that YOUR Representative and Senator support these bills.

 

A package of twelve bills of great importance to Michigan citizens and Michigan WORKERS just passed out of the Labor Committee and is awaiting action on the House floor.  The package was developed by Representative Fred Miller and goes under the overall package of “Hire Michigan First”.

 

The bills passed out of the Labor and Commerce Committees with all Democrats voting for them – and with NO Republican support!

 

The bills amend the various laws that provide economic incentives for new jobs, new companies and/or new construction to mandate that any one receiving state tax dollars to assist in their job development, will have to hire Michigan workers before importing people from out of state for the new jobs!   This requirement would apply to companies that get tax breaks in any form – as well as to the contracting out of employment for construction or other services.   Exceptions are allowed only if Michigan residents are not available or trained for specific jobs.

 

Equally important, the bills include strict reporting requirements so that the state can actually track the success of the Michigan hiring – something that has been lacking in previous economic packages.   AND, there are strong penalties attached for anyone or any company that does not live up to the commitments made in the initial contract between the state and the company receiving the tax break.

 

The bills would also ban the hiring of illegal workers.

 

Representative Miller commented:  “Hire Michigan First is a straightforward plan to ensure that when companies benefit from taxpayer dollars in the form of contracts, tax breaks or other incentives; our Michigan residents will get the first shot at those jobs.”

 

Jack Minore, AFL-CIO Legislative Director agrees:  “When Michigan taxpayer dollars are spent, our Michigan residents and workers should benefit first!  I encourage all of our members to contact their state legislators and ask them to support the ‘Hire Michigan First’ package of bills.”

 

 

Just what is in the package of bills?   (House Bills  4083 – 4094)

This package of bills is designed to create jobs for Michigan residents and to ensure that taxpayer dollars that are expended for economic development benefit Michigan residents first.

 

Included in all the bills:

  • Encourage the hiring of Michigan residents and contracting with Michigan companies under the states’ economic development laws
  • Allow for out of state hiring in special circumstances such as key management
  • Prohibit knowingly hiring persons not authorized to work in the U.S.
  • Strict reporting provisions as to jobs filled with Michigan residents
  • Probable loss of grants or loans or payback provisions if the acts are violated

 

Group 1:  the state as a “market participant”:  Strategic Fund / 21st Century Jobs &  Brownfield Redevelopment  Acts

  • Requires recipients of loans or grants to hire Michigan residents first
  • Requires strict reporting on number of jobs  created & filled with Michigan residents
  • Requires the reporting of when and why non-Michigan residents were hired

 

Group 2:  competitive bids:  Renaissance Zone / Economic Growth Authority & Historic Preservation Acts

  • Other factors being equal, preference will be given to companies who pledge to hire all Michigan workers
  • Includes strict reporting requirements for jobs filled & for any exceptions

 

Group 3: local economic development tools:   Obsolete Property Rehabilitation / Industrial Development Revenue Bond / Plant Rehabilitation District & Transportation Economic Development Funds Acts

  • Requires companies to make good faith efforts to employ and to contract with Michigan residents, companies and suppliers for their projects
  • Requires strict reporting to the public and to the Legislature on an annual basis
  • In some instances would allow cancellation of contracts for violations of the Michigan Prevailing Wage Law

 

Group 4: state contracts:

  • Would change current law requiring vendors who contract with the state to hire 100% Michigan residents

 

Other general provisions:

  • Would allow the state to cancel contracts or stop payments to a vendor who knowingly hires individuals not authorized to work in the U.S.
  • Would allow the state to cancel contracts or stop payments to a vendor who violates Michigan’s Prevailing Wage Law
  • Would require vendors to report on new jobs created and those filled with Michigan residents
  • Would require vendors to report on when and why the hiring clause was omitted

 

If you support these bills and these concepts, we urge you to contact YOUR State Senator and Your State Representative and ask them to vote for these bills when they come up for a vote!