FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2012

CONTACT:  Sara Metz, 517-449-3786

Benefits could run out within weeks if Congress doesn’t act, cutting lifeline for thousands in Michigan

LANSING – As federal unemployment benefits approach expiration, workers and community members will gather at the offices of eight members of Congress this Friday to call for an extension of this critical lifeline for Michigan families.

In Michigan alone, nearly 80,000 unemployed workers could lose their benefits on March 6 if Congress fails to approve an extension. This assistance is critical to helping families make ends meet during extended periods of joblessness, and House Republicans are proposing costly and burdensome barriers that would make it even harder for jobless Americans to find work.

WHO:  Local workers and community members

WHAT:  Rally at Congressional offices to call for an extension of federal unemployment benefits

WHERE/WHEN:

Rep. Justin Amash: 12pm at the Corner of Ottawa Ave NW and Michigan St NW, Grand Rapids

Rep. Dan Benishek: 12pm at 307 S. Front St., Marquette

Rep. Dave Camp: 12pm at 135 Ashman St, Midland

Rep. Bill Huizenga: 4pm at 900 Third St, Ste 203, Muskegon

Rep. Candice Miller: 12pm at 48701 Van Dyke, Shelby Twp

Rep. Mike Rogers: 12pm at 1000 W St Joseph, Ste 300, Lansing

Rep. Fred Upton: 12pm at 157 S Kalamazoo Mall, Ste 180, Kalamazoo

Rep. Tim Walberg: 12pm at 800 W Ganson, Jackson

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The Michigan 2012 Jobs Agenda already has strong support from labor, progressive and community service organizations.

Now we need your help to make sure Lansing politicians start standing up for Michigan’s middle class families. Click here to show your support!

On Thursday, January 12, 2012 Michigan State AFL-CIO President Karla Swift joined workers and citizens groups from around the state to unveil an aggressive plan to hold legislators accountable for creating good-paying jobs, rebuilding the state’s crumbling infrastructure, making sure all of Michigan’s children have access to a good education, and helping unemployed workers get back on their feet. This document, entitled “Michigan’s 2012 Jobs Plan,” provides a roadmap for rebuilding the state’s economy by investing in Michigan’s workers, families, and communities. 

Download the full plan to learn more about some of the steps that should be taken now to create opportunities, drive innovation, and get Michigan back on track.

Karla Swift, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO delivers a heartfelt speech about how the rights of workers have been threatened, attacked, and dismantled due to pushes from the right to destroy the safety nets put in place to keep Michigan employees safe, healthy, and paid respectably for the hard work they put in each and every day on the job.

View the speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSVnqlv_soc

“Right to Work (for less)” - The Wrong Answer for Michigan’s Economy

In case you missed it, the non­par­ti­san Eco­nomic Pol­icy Insti­tute released a new report on the poten­tial impact of a so-called “Right to Work” law on Michigan’s econ­omy. Here are some of the key findings:

RTW laws have no impact on the per­for­mance of state economies. Seven of the 10 highest-unemployment states are states with RTW laws, includ­ing Nevada and Florida, which have unem­ploy­ment rates higher than Michigan’s unem­ploy­ment rate of 10.5%, and South Car­olina, which also has an unem­ploy­ment rate of 10.5%. Fac­tors other than RTW laws, such as major indus­tries and cli­mate, shape states’ economies.

RTW laws lower wages for union and non-union work­ers by an aver­age of $1,500 a year and decrease the like­li­hood employ­ees will get health insur­ance or pen­sions through their jobs. By low­er­ing com­pen­sa­tion, they have the indi­rect effect of under­min­ing con­sumer spend­ing, which threat­ens eco­nomic growth. For every $1 mil­lion in wage cuts to work­ers, $850,000 less is spent in the econ­omy, which trans­lates into a loss of six jobs.

It’s clear that some state politi­cians and their spe­cial inter­est friends are mak­ing a power grab and try­ing to pass a law to weaken mid­dle class fam­i­lies. By under­min­ing work­ers’ rights, these greedy CEOs would gain even more prof­its – at the expense of our jobs, our retire­ment secu­rity and our kids’ future.

Gov­er­nor Sny­der and anti-union politi­cians in the leg­is­la­ture have moved one anti-worker measure after another, doing noth­ing to help put Michi­gan back to work. We need our elected lead­ers to help cre­ate the kind of jobs that pay a fair wage and help give our kids the edu­ca­tion they need to have a bet­ter life, rather than exploit­ing our children’s teach­ers, nurses and fire­fight­ers – the peo­ple who make Michi­gan safe every day.

Download the Report Here

For Immediate Release

Contact: Cathy Sherwin (314) 452-2179

Workers Compensation bill is another power grab by corporate special interests that won’t create jobs

Michigan's workers compensation laws were designed to protect workers injured on the job, but HB5002 only hurts those injured workers and gives more political payback to CEOs and corporate special interest groups. This unfair bill is just another partisan power grab by Lansing politicians, and guts protections for injured workers. It was passed yesterday despite hundreds of Michigan workers, including First Responders like police and firefighters that testified about the devastating impact HB5002 would have on our workers compensation system. The bill won't do anything to create jobs, but it will make it far more difficult for injured workers to get back on their feet.

In fact, for the first time ever, HB 5002 would cut benefits for injured workers by subtracting “imaginary wages," regardless of jobs available. It effectively penalizes injured workers because our state politicians have failed to create more jobs. Instead of giving more Holiday handouts to corporate special interests, we need our elected leaders to focus on creating more and better jobs and safer workplaces, rather than attacking people who get hurt on the job through no fault of their own.

Workers compensation is too important for politics as usual. I strongly urge Gov. Snyder to stand up for Michigan workers, not CEOs, and veto this unfair legislation. By working together, we can keep the focus on what's really important to Michigan workers, without reckless attacks that would destroy a critical lifeline for Michigan families.

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