May 16, 2019
Detroit – Today the Michigan AFL-CIO named Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) and Rep. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) as its Legislators of the Year for 2019. Detroit City Councilmember Janeé Ayers was also named Local Elected Official of the Year. The awards were announced at the state labor federation’s constitutional convention at IBEW Local 58 in Detroit.
“Elected officials who use their time in office to support the working men and women of this state deserve to be recognized for those efforts,” said Ron Bieber, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO. “We have a lot more pro-working family members in the legislature and we’re looking forward to the work they do to support our freedoms. These lawmakers stood out because of their leadership on critical issues facing workers.”
State Representative Kevin Hertel played a key role in the passage of a bipartisan package that addressed critical failures in the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency following the robo-fraud scandal that falsely accused 40,000 of committing fraud. Hertel continues to work to create a compensation fund for those wrongly accused and other continued reforms.
“I ran for office in order to represent working men and women,” said Kevin Hertel. “I was proud to work closely with the Michigan AFL-CIO when we passed a package of bipartisan bills to address unfairness in the Unemployment Agency, but we still have a lot of work to do. I look forward to continuing to work with them to make sure everyone is getting a fair shake.”
State Senator Jeremy Moss has led a bipartisan effort to expand accountability and transparency in state government. He has also been a strong advocate for expanding workplace protections to all working people, including members of the LGBTQ community.
“My family’s story is one of the many in Michigan that show why unions matter. My grandfather was able to lift his young family into Michigan’s middle class because his trade union made sure he earned a living wage that he deserved for the skilled work he completed. Union protections have afforded the grandson of a typesetter opportunities to succeed way beyond his grandfather’s hopes and dreams,” said Sen. Jeremy Moss. “I appreciate the continued support of the Michigan AFL-CIO in our joint mission to create a more fair, more honest system of government that seeks to protect Michigan families, their wages and their workplace standards.”
Detroit Councilmember Janeé Ayers is a former labor leader having been a member of AFSCME, UNITE HERE and former Vice President of the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO. As a local elected official, she has been working to protect the freedoms of working families in Detroit.
According to a new report released today by the AFL-CIO, Michigan had the 22nd highest rate of workplace deaths in 2017. This analysis, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that 153 Michigan workers lost their lives due to on-the-job injuries, resulting in 3.4 deaths per hundred thousand workers. View Report here: https://aflcio.org/dotj
Nationally, workplace violence is now the second-leading cause of workplace death, accounting for 807 workplace deaths, including 458 homicides. For the 3rd year in a row, workplace violence injuries increased, with nearly 29,000 workers suffering serious violence-related injuries due to assault on the job. Yet, even as violence increases in the workplace, the Trump administration has sidelined developing and issuing an OSHA workplace violence standard.
“This report is a solemn reminder of the dangers facing working people as we prepare to commemorate Workers Memorial Day on April 28th,” said Ron Bieber, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO. “Michigan’s working families deserve better. We have a right to a safe workplace. We deserve leaders in Lansing and Washington who will stand up and protect the freedoms of working people. It’s time for change. It’s time for the safety, economic rights and dignity of the working men and women of Michigan to be made a priority.”
Nationally, 5,147 American workers died on the job in 2017, a small decrease from deaths the previous year. Another estimated 95,000 died from occupational diseases, meaning approximately 275 workers died each day from preventable, hazardous workplace conditions. Overall, the national job fatality rate was 3.5 per 100,000, workers down slightly from 3.6 in 2016.
The report, titled “Death on the Job. The Toll of Neglect” marks the 28th year the AFL-CIO has produced its findings on the state of safety and health protections for workers within the United States. The report shows the highest workplace fatality rates are in Alaska (10.2 per 100,000 workers), North Dakota (10.1), Wyoming (7.7), West Virginia (7.4) and South Dakota (7.3).
Other report highlights show that Latino workers continue to be at increased risk of job death, and that the number of Latino worker deaths increased in 2017 to 903 from 879. Deaths among older workers also increased; workers 65 or older have nearly three times the risk of dying on the job as workers overall. Construction, transportation and agriculture industries remain among the most dangerous. In 2017, 917 construction workers were killed—the highest total of any sector. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting was the most dangerous industry sector, with a fatality rate of 23.0 per 100,000 workers.
Please join us this summer for the Michigan HRDI 30th Golf Outing which will be held at Eldorado Golf Course, 3750 West Howell Road in Mason, Michigan on Friday, June 14, 2019. Golf will begin with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m., with lunch at the turn and dinner following the conclusion of golf.
The $150.00 per person donation includes green fees, a golf cart, lunch, dinner, refreshments, great raffle prizes and much more. Starting hole assignments will be issued upon full payment. Individuals wishing to play will be grouped with others to make foursomes.
If you’re not able to spend the day golfing, here’s another opportunity: “Golf Tee Sponsorships” areavailable at $500 for a large sign and $150 for a small sign. That is an excellent way to get your nameout there!!
The popularity of this event and the number of players possible under the shotgun format limits participation, so to ensure a spot for yourself or your team, please send in the attached registration form and check as soon as possible to the address below.
Michigan HRDI, Golf Outing, 419 S. Washington Ave., Ste. 300, Lansing, MI 48933-2138. Make checks payable to “Michigan HRDI”.
For more information, call Patty at (517) 388-0261 or email her at patty5farhat@hotmail.com. We hope to see you on the golf course on June 14th ! The staff of HRDI sincerely appreciates your participation.
More information
Registration form
Please join us this summer for the Michigan HRDI 30 th Golf Outing which will be held at Eldorado Golf Course, 3750 West Howell Road in Mason, Michigan on Friday, June 14, 2019. Golf will begin with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m., with lunch at the turn and dinner following the conclusion of golf.
The $150.00 per person donation includes green fees, a golf cart, lunch, dinner, refreshments, great raffle prizes and much more. Starting hole assignments will be issued upon full payment. Individuals wishing to play will be grouped with others to make foursomes.
If you’re not able to spend the day golfing, here’s another opportunity: “Golf Tee Sponsorships” are available at $500 for a large sign and $150 for a small sign. That is an excellent way to get your name out there!!
The popularity of this event and the number of players possible under the shotgun format limits participation, so to ensure a spot for yourself or your team, please send in the attached registration form and check as soon as possible to the address below.
Michigan HRDI, Golf Outing, 419 S. Washington Ave., Ste. 300, Lansing, MI 48933-2138. Make checkspayable to “Michigan HRDI”.
For more information, call Patty at (517) 388-0261 or email her at patty5farhat@hotmail.com. We hope to see you on the golf course on June 14 th ! The staff of HRDI sincerely appreciates your participation.
Registration form can be found here.
