Business + Labor
TSA has too few pipeline security officials, Upton and Dingell say
U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) and Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) say there are not enough federal officials within the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) assigned to help protect the nation’s 2.7 million miles of pipelines carrying oil, gas and other hazardous liquids. Upton, ranking member of the Energy Subcommittee on the U.S. House Committee on […]
Michigan takes center stage in congressional hearing on auto insurance
A U.S. House panel hearing Wednesday on discrimination in auto insurance and loan rates took a familiar turn, with Michigan playing a key role. The debate in the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations was similar to discussions in Michigan’s Legislature, with Republicans pointing fingers at Michigan’s one-of-a-kind no-fault system for high […]
Court rules unlicensed pot dispensaries can remain open — for now
Michigan’s Court of Claims ruled Tuesday that unlicensed marijuana dispensaries in the state can remain open until Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new regulatory body rules on their licensing applications. In a set of rulings Tuesday, Judge Stephen Borrello ruled largely in favor of plaintiffs in various cases against the state, agreeing with an earlier ruling that […]
Beaumont Royal Oak nurses launch union effort
Nurses at Beaumont Health’s Royal Oak hospital have launched a unionization effort, according to the organizing union, the Michigan Nurses Association. Nurses at the hospital, just north of Detroit, cite other recent, successful union efforts by health care professionals at Michigan hospitals, such as Munson Health in Traverse City and the Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, part […]
Ajegba: Working with Whitmer ‘fix the damn roads’
The man in charge of carrying out Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s most famous campaign promise to “fix the damn roads” is Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Paul Ajegba. In an exclusive interview, the Michigan Advance sat down with Ajegba this month and talked to him about his background, how Michigan got into its infrastructure crisis […]
Labor leaders hope new West Michigan facility spurs membership
The Monday grand opening of a $15 million training facility in West Michigan for unionized tradespeople comes at a tough time for labor in Michigan. But labor leaders and Democratic officials are hopeful that the new 67,000-square foot training facility in Wayland, south of Grand Rapids, could serve as a beacon for rejuvenating organized labor’s […]
Calley emerges as Whitmer’s favorite Republican
In the four months since leaving his job as Michigan’s lieutenant governor, Brian Calley views Sunday mornings as perhaps the biggest change. Calley, who was plucked from the Legislature to run alongside Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Snyder in 2010, has now been president of the Lansing-based Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) since Jan. 1. […]
Rick Haglund: Michigan is running out of workers. That’s bad news for the economy.
Michigan has largely focused on boosting educational attainment and vocational skills to meet employers’ current and future workforce needs. But there’s a bigger issue threatening the state’s economic vitality: we’re running out of people to train, educate and fill new jobs. Michigan’s working-age population is forecast to grow by just 87,700 people between 2015 and […]
Pence stumps in Michigan for new trade deal, Trump’s re-election
Vice President Mike Pence made a trip through Southeast Michigan Wednesday morning, touring the Dearborn Ford auto plant before appearing after a panel of auto industry executives in Taylor to advocate for a new North American trade deal. Pence’s remarks hit familiar notes, lavishly praising President Donald Trump and lauding the country’s low unemployment rates […]
Lisa Canada: Lawmakers should act quickly to stop payroll, tax fraud hurting workers
The Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights represents more than 14,000 men and women who build our state from the ground up. From the bridges we drive across, to the schools, hospitals and factories we depend upon, our members work hard for good, Michigan contractors and build the infrastructure our state needs. But not […]
Green New Deal not backed by most Michigan Dems, Republicans in Congress
Michigan’s congressional Democrats all agree that something needs to be done about climate change. But most are not voicing support for the much-discussed Green New Deal from U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.), stand alone as the only two Michigan […]
Pence to talk NAFTA replacement in Southeast Michigan Wednesday
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will visit Michigan on Wednesday to push a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) replacement plan, according to his office. Pence is set to speak at an event in Romulus for President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign and then tour a Dearborn Ford Motor Co truck plant. Afterward, he will […]