FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 16, 2026
Contact: Leah Leszczynski, lleszczynski@miaflcio.org, 989.316.6044
LANSING, MI — Today, the Michigan AFL-CIO announced that it joined the National Employment Law Project, Michigan Poverty Law Program, and other groups in filing an amicus brief in the case of Kreps v. Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency. Kreps involves the deprivation of unemployment insurance from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers’ unemployment insurance was frozen without a path to appeal, and years later, plaintiffs remain unpaid. This is a violation of working Michiganders’ rights to due process, which has been established by decades of precedent.
“By denying Michiganders’ rights to due process, our current unemployment system is putting every single one of us at risk,” said Ron BIEBER, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO. “Whether the cause of job loss is a pandemic, layoff, orotherwise, all Michiganders could fall on hard times and depend on the outcome of this case. Societies need solid social safety nets to survive and prosper. Michigan’s labor movement looks forward to ensuring that workers who encounter the loss of a job through no fault of their own are guaranteed due process through our support in this critical case.”
“During the pandemic, I became unemployed and it was one of the worst times in my life,” said Paul KREPS, the lead plaintiff in Kreps. “I did my best to get a job, but no one was hiring. My unemployment insurance was frozen and my children went hungry. My retired parents took out a home loan and high interest payday loans so we didn’t become homeless. I hope this case can improve the system so nobody else has to go through what my family has.”
“Federal law has long recognized the role of due process in protecting property rights and Michiganders’ rights to unemployment insurance are no exception,” said Mark BREWER, general counsel for the Michigan AFL-CIO. “We are committed to ensuring workers’ rights are protected through this case.”
The Michigan AFL-CIO, Michigan’s largest labor organization, is a federation representing forty different labor organizations, eighteen different central labor councils, and eight constituency groups representing over 1 million union members and their families.
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