Pro worker rally set for Saturday in the Capitol

Working citizens all over Michigan plan to gather at the State Capitol in Lansing at noon on Saturday, Feb. 26 to make their voices heard on the unacceptable attacks on the civil rights of workers, to protest the tax shift from the rich and powerful to the middle class and the working poor and to urge the Legislature to focus on creating jobs instead of union busting.

The rally will run from noon to 3 p.m., and a couple of progressive groups and organized labor are doing the organizing. One event is called “Storm the Capitol,” and the other one is called “The Rally to Save the American Dream.” Both events have the same goals, and the important thing is to just be there.

On Tuesday and Wednesday thousands of workers made it to Lansing to protest the attacks on workers’ rights, and this is a continuation of that. Teabaggers on Tuesday also tried to organize a counter rally designed to provoke a confrontation, but since they were outnumbered 50-1 they kept to themselves. The confrontations only come from them when the numbers are on their side.

But they plan to try it again, and a group called "We the People of Mid-Michigan” is trying to rally the troops on Saturday at the same time.

In addition to few real concerned conservative Republicans, teabagger groups have attracted the most extreme rightwing and anti-government groups out there that include militias, secessionists and neo-Nazi white supremacist groups, and they are financed by cash laden Washington, D.C. lobbying firms and corporations. It will be tough to ignore that element because they will do everything to provoke a confrontation, and we must do everything to ignore those attempts to give them ammunition.

First of two pro-union demonstrations have large and peaceful turnout

LANSING -- Some 1,500 workers turned out to lobby their lawmakers and protest Republicans stealth attempt to bust public sector unions.

The House debated the anti-democratic and union busting House Bills 4214-4218 that give Emergency Financial Mangers (EFM) more power, including the ability to disenfranchise voters and terminate contracts negotiated with labor unions in good faith. Republicans fought off every attempt to make the bills more transparent, but they were defeated along party lines.

Tuesday’s demonstration was peaceful, despite the attempt to take away precious collective bargaining rights won by life and limb of people before them and the vote from locals. It should be hard to take the vote away from voters.

Not only that, but teabaggers organized a weak counter-protest, and about 20 teabaggers showed up in a failed attempt to provoke a confrontation, telling them to “Get pictures, and take video.”

The Detroit News reported that “At one point, about two dozen tea party supporters, many hoisting "Don't Tread on Me" flags, began marching toward the mostly pro-union group of a few dozen people gathered in front of the east Capitol steps. But they stopped about 50 feet away and eventually turned back, later regrouping near Capitol Avenue in front of the monument to Michigan's Civil War governor, Austin Blair.”

The 50-1 ratio of working people to teabaggers made them think better of trying to provoke a confrontation.

Republicans did their best to silence the working people. According to the Detroit News, “More than 500 construction workers chanted and stomped their feet outside a House hearing room this afternoon to get the attention of lawmakers hearing testimony on repeal of prevailing wages.“ The House Commerce Committee took testimony on a bill that will kill the prevailing wage law that calls for union wages to be paid on public projects, but they were locked out after the seats were filled. Typically, another committee room will be set up with a TV feed, bit for some reason that did not happen.

More protests are expected Wednesday in Lansing. The House Government Operations Committee is holding a hearing on legislation to repeal Public Act 312 on Wednesday, Feb 23. House Bills 4205-4206 that will repel Public Act 312 will be voted out of the Committee at noon on Wednesday.

Because police officers and firefighters are essential to public safety, they are not allowed to strike like other bargaining units can, so PA 312 gives them a tool in negotiating a contract. PA 312 is the foundation of collective bargaining rights for firefighters and police officers in Michigan, and since 1969 PA 312 has provided a fair and equitable process for contract disputes between firefighters and police officers and municipalities.

Michigan's police and firefighters are holding a rally in support of PA312. The rally will kick off at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lansing. From there, the group will head to the Capital.

Additionally, the Senate Education Committee will vote out the Senate version of the anti-democratic and union busting EFM bills, SBs 153-158. The Education Committee meets at 12:30 p.m. in room 100 of the Farnum Building, 125 W. Allegan St.

The meetings, like all committee meetings, are open to the public.

Michigan residents taking to the streets to protect worker’s rights

Wisconsin residents are taking to the streets to fight their governor’s attempt to bust public sector unions, and Michigan residents will do the same next week.

Republicans in Michigan are trying the same thing, but they are much sneakier about it. Last week they voted anti-democratic and union busting House Bills 4214-4218 out of committee that will repeal Public Act 72, the current law governing emergency financial managers (EFM). The bills give them more power that includes disenfranchising the voters and terminate contracts negotiated with labor unions in good faith.

On Tuesday Feb. 22 at 9 a.m. a citizen’s rally is being held in downtown Lansing to protest the union busting. They will gather at Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol, at the Corner of Ottawa and Capitol, to march on the Capitol and send a message to their legislators. They expect more than 200 people to show up.

House Bills 4205-4206 that will repel Public Act 312 will be voted out of the Government Operations Committee at noon on Wednesday Feb. 23. Because police officers and firefighters are essential to public safety, they are not allowed to strike like other bargaining units can, so PA 312 gives them a tool in negotiating a contract. PA 312 is the foundation of collective bargaining rights for firefighters and police officers in Michigan, and since 1969 PA 312 has provided a fair and equitable process for contract disputes between firefighters and police officers and municipalities.

Some 300 members of the Michigan Professional Firefighters Association are expected to send some 300 members to voice their displeasure for this union-busting measure.

The Government Operations Committee meets at noon on Wednesday in room 327 of the House Office Building, 121 N. Capitol in Lansing.

Additionally, the Senate Education Committee will vote out the Senate version of the anti-democratic and union busting EFM bills, SBs 153-158. The Education Committee meets at 12:30 p.m. in room 100 of the Farnum Building, 125 W. Allegan St.

The meetings, like all committee meetings, are open to the public.

Michigan Republican’s war on the middle class and labor is priority one

The Michigan Republican’s war on the middle class and labor continues to go at top speed with complete disregard for the consequences.

Less than two weeks after introducing bills in the Michigan House that will repeal Public Act 312 of 1969 that allows binding arbitration of labor disputes for municipal police and fire departments, the bills, House Bills 4205 and 4206, are already headed to committee for action. It is rare that legislation moves that quickly.

Because police officers and firefighters are essential to public safety, they are not allowed to go out on strike like other bargaining units can, so this gives them a tool in negotiating a contract. PA 312 is the foundation of collective bargaining rights for firefighters and police officers in Michigan, and since 1969 PA 312 has provided a fair and equitable process for contract disputes between firefighters and police officers and municipalities.

It is rarely even used and when it is the local municipalities win 71 percent of the time, yet Republicans try to blame the financial difficulties municipalities are facing on PA 312 while ignoring the fact that revenue sharing payments from Lansing have been cut and property values are falling.

They are setting up a trap to first bust public service unions then they will go after private unions. However, they are being stealthier about it instead of being more open like they are in Wisconsin and Ohio, fearing the backlash from working Michiganders.

The new budget proposal introduced yesterday cuts revenue sharing payments and aid to public schools by $420 per pupil, sending many municipalities and school districts into insolvency, and they are expanding the law for emergency financial manger and giving them more power.

The EFM law already takes the power and authority out of the hands of the people legally elected by the voters and places it in the hands of a person appointed by the governor and the Legislature. The new bills will make it easier to appoint an EFM with several more triggers, and the bill also gives the EFM much more broader powers, such as allowing the manger to terminate contracts negotiated with labor unions in good faith.

This is just one more union-busting measure, and if there are less police officers on the streets and firefighters ready to respond, Republicans think it’s worth it as long as they bust the union.

Yesterday Senate Republicans introduced Senate Bill 165 that will kill the prevailing wage law that calls for union wages to be paid on public projects. The bill was sponsored by Sen. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, but it is co-sponsored by 20 of the 26 Senate Republicans.

HBs 4205-4206 that will kill PA 312 will be before the House Committee on Government Operations at noon on Wednesday Feb. 23 in room 327 of the House Office Building, 121 N. Capitol in Lansing. The meeting, like all committee meetings, is open to the public.

Republican union-busting attempts go after police and firefighter unions

The Republican assault on the middle class, public employees and unions continues in Lansing, and this time they are going after firefighters and police officers.

Rep. Joseph Haveman, R-Holland, introduced House Bills 4205 and 4206 on Tuesday that will repeal Public Act 312 of 1969 that allows binding arbitration of labor disputes for municipal police and fire departments. This act has long been a whipping boy of conservative Republicans, especially the ones at the local level, and they falsely blame it for what they say are high wages and decent benefits for firefighters and cops.

"At a time of fiscal crisis in our state with many communities close to receivership, we must find ways to free the hands of local elected officials from outdated and costly statutes and regulation such as this," Haveman said in a press release announcing his introduction of these anti-union bills. "Binding arbitration results in incremental increases to benefits and pay that are leading many of our municipalities toward bankruptcy.”

None of that is true. The real reason for the troubles of local municipalities is simply falling property values and reduced revenue sharing from Lansing year after year.

Because police officers and firefighters are essential to public safety, they are not allowed to go out on strike like other bargaining units can, so this gives them a tool in negotiating a contract. PA 312 is the foundation of collective bargaining rights for firefighters and police officers in Michigan, and since 1969 PA 312 has provided a fair and equitable process for contract disputes between firefighters and police officers and municipalities. PA 312 is intended as a last resort in negotiations, not as a bargaining tool.

Arbitration is actually rare, so the claim that it is bankrupting municipalities is just bunk. In fact, the non-partisan Citizens Research Council says an average of only about 33 cases a year go to arbitration – about 8 percent of fire and police debarments, and of those cases, the municipalities are successful 71 percent of the time.

Tell me again how this is causing bankruptcy?

It’s not clear what the elimination of PA will mean. Will it mean that police officers and firefighters can go on strike, or is it just another attempt by Republicans to bust the unions?

The Legislature tried to amend PA 312 last session at the urging of the Michigan Municipal League (MML) that represents city and village officials that really wanted to want to kill it. They blame PA 312 for layoffs and bankruptcies instead of falling property values and reduced revenue sharing, and they cannot produce a single instance PA 312 caused a municipality to go into receivership.

The MML’s false claim is that arbitrators are not allowed to take a city's ability to pay into account and compare the city's other employees to police and fire officials when deciding if salary and other requests are fair, even though a city clerical worker does not face the same dangers as a police officer or firefighter or have the same level of education and training. The fact is an arbitrator can take ability to pay into account.

A good compromise was passed out of the Republican-controlled Senate last year and the same bill passed the Democratically-controlled House, but when some anti-labor Republicans realized it was not anti-labor union and Democrats liked the bill, the bill's originator refused to send the bill to the governor for signature and bottled it up in committee.

HBs 4205-4206 were referred to the Committee on Government Operations awaiting action.

Republicans go after police officers and firefighters

The first hearing of the newly formed Senate Reform and Restructuring Committee today to consider Senate Republicans so-called government reform package of bills turned out to be nothing more than two hours of union bashing.

Last week the so-called government reforms the Senate Republicans introduced were nothing more than pay cuts that will kill collective bargaining in Michigan. They are calling for a constitutional amendment to be placed on the ballot in August to require government workers to take a 5 percent pay cut and pay 20 percent of their health insurance premiums. But the one that has flown under the radar and was the focus of almost all the testimony on Wednesday was Senate Bill 1072 that would amend PA 312 of 1969 that allows compulsory arbitration of labor disputes for municipal police and fire departments.

Because police officers and firefighters are essential to public safety, they are not allowed to go out on strike like other bargaining units can, so this gives them a tool in negotiating a contract. PA 312 is the foundation of collective bargaining rights for firefighters and police officers in Michigan, and since 1969 PA 312 has provided a fair and equitable process for contract disputes between firefighters and police officers and municipalities. PA 312 is intended as a last resort in negotiations, not as a bargaining tool.

But the Michigan Municipal League (MML) that represents city and village officials wants to kill it. They blame PA 312 for layoffs and bankruptcies instead of falling property values and reduced revenue sharing, and they cannot produce a single instance where it caused a municipality to go into receivership. The good news is SB 1072 does not go that far.

The bill would clarify that arbitrators must look at a city's ability to pay – something the act already does - and compare the city's other employees to police and fire officials when deciding if salary and other requests are fair. Somehow, I don’t believe a city clerical worker faces the same dangers as a police officer or firefighter.

The hearing was all one-sided, and all of the testimony was from the MML, mayors, city managers and township officials. Not a single union member, police officer or firefighter was allowed to speak.

In response to a question on how many cases of arbitration there were is the past year, the MML declined to answer, only saying they have decreased, but the official said there was no way to “measure the threat of arbitration.” When pressed for an answer by a Democratic member of the committee, the MML official admitted it was only five. That’s right; five cases are bankrupting local government.

As for the threat of arbitration, it’s no different than the threat of a strike, so if they remove PA 312, does that mean police and fire can now strike? Somehow I doubt that.

This is such a farce, and it’s just one more weapons the Republicans are wielding to kill unions, drive wages and benefits down and kill the middle class.

The committee did not take any votes, and it is expected to meet again next Wednesday morning.

The MML is right in that the number of cases of arbitration are going down, and that’s because all municipal bargaining units have sacrificed and made concessions to help balance the budget. The non-partisan Citizens Research Council says an average of only about 33 cases a year go to arbitration – about 8 percent of fire and police debarments, and of those cases, the municipalities are successful 71 percent of the time.