Labor
Detroit nursing homes have 100+ COVID-19 deaths, state taking new actions
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Tuesday there have been 124 COVID-19 deaths recorded among residents and staff in city nursing homes — and added it’s likely the final number will be dramatically higher. The city also is two-thirds of the way through testing residents at each of the city’s 26 nursing homes, Duggan said during […]
Grocery store workers brave the front lines during COVID-19 crisis
Shaina McKinnon, 22, leaves her house in Lansing every day to stock the produce department at Meijer. A few months ago, she would have told you that she’s only working at the grocery store to pay the bills while she juggles low-paying internships and grad school. However, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she is now considered […]
New: Detroit nursing home shaken by 3 COVID-19 deaths
Updated, 1:05 p.m. 4/13/20 with a clarification from Villa Healthcare. One staff member and two residents have died of COVID-19 at Ambassador Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Detroit. That’s according to Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Michigan spokesman Kevin Lignell. He also told the Advance that SEIU filed complaints against the nursing home with […]
Fear and exhaustion in Detroit, state’s COVID-19 ‘epicenter’
WASHINGTON — Tinae Moore, an emergency department technician at Detroit Medical Center, couldn’t finish her shift last Tuesday. She was experiencing shortness of breath and a fever — which are among the COVID-19 symptoms — so she stopped work early and was tested for coronavirus. She’s been in quarantine, but still doesn’t know her test […]
Nursing homes see spike in COVID-19 cases, Whitmer asked to take action
Updated, 1:06 p.m. 4/13/20 The spread of COVID-19 often hits older people the hardest. Reports coming from nursing homes around the state are showing that those living in these facilities could be in a particularly dangerous situation. A number of residents and employees working in metro Detroit have tested positive for COVID-19, the new coronavirus, […]
Longtime labor activist Liz Jackson dies at 102
Described as a fighter with no quit in her, Elizabeth Jackson was a force in Detroit’s labor, political and civil rights communities for many decades. She died on March 2 in Columbia, S.C. She was 102 years old. Her death was not COVID-19-related, according to her niece, Judy Battiste. “I am one of the many […]
GM to produce masks, ventilators during COVID-19 outbreak
General Motors — which, like all Big Three automakers, has shut down its plants to stop the spread of COVID-19 — announced Friday a partnership with Ventec Life Systems to produce ventilators at its Kokomo, Ind., manufacturing facility. GM said it is contributing its resources at cost. “We are proud to stand with other American […]
Column: Workers left out of govt., business response to COVID-19
As the coronavirus crisis unfolds, workers and families around the country are finding out how weak the U.S. social safety net is. Almost three-quarters of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. About 30% of the workforce lacks employer-paid health insurance. One-third of workers lack paid sick leave. Most of those working in the self-employed economy as independent […]
Michigan almost had robust sick leave in 2018. Republicans killed it.
As the number of COVID-19 cases in Michigan continues to rise, thousands of Michiganders are being sent home from their jobs in an attempt to stop the spread. And with all K-12 schools shutting down Monday, many parents have no choice but to stay home with their children. Roughly 1.7 million Michiganders, or 55% of […]
Biden in Detroit: ‘Trump is bully who must be defeated’
Former Vice President Joe Biden, one of two main Democratic presidential hopefuls left standing, touted his résumé and warned voters about the dangers of President Donald Trump’s reelection during a Monday Detroit swing, one day before Michigan’s presidential primary election. “We have a president now who preys on people’s frailties; he preys on people’s fears,” […]
Union rallies to secure $15 wage for Detroit airport workers
Gerald Scruggs, a cabin cleaner at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW), says that he hasn’t been treated well by his employer, Prospect Airport Services. “I’m coming together with my coworkers to win at least $15 [an hour] and a union because we need to be able to support our families,” Scruggs said. Chanting “When we stand, […]
Column: Real pay data show Trump’s ‘blue collar boom’ is more of a bust for workers, in 3 charts
If you thought workers’ hourly pay was finally rising, think again. At first glance, the latest data – which came out on Feb. 7 – look pretty good. They show nominal hourly earnings rose 3.1% in January from a year earlier. But the operative word here is nominal, which means not adjusted for changes in […]