- The Florida teenager who was arrested two weeks ago for causing a small exp...
- As some of you might know already, Nuns on the Bus will be making a pass th...
- As the shutdown of LSU’s Earl K. Long Medical Center in northern Baton Ro...
- Neither soaking rain nor the lack of permit from the City of Atlanta preven...
- Spokane City Councilman Jon Snyder and President of Aging and Long Term Car...
- One of the consequences of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s policy of shrinking state ...
- The Boston Marathon bombings happened more than 2,700 miles away, but fo...
- On Saturday, as Texas hosted the National Rifle Association’s annual conv...
- Clean energy opponents turned to dirty tactics this week at the North Carol...
- Last week, an exchange between Jeff Flake, Janet Napolitano, and Chuck S...
- An arbitrator said that a picket line of retired longshore union workers ...
- Within hours of renowned climate scientists announcing a staggering milesto...
Teachers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, say that new paycheck cuts are leaving them with so little pay they qualify for food stamps. The teachers, working without a contract, have been hit by a 2011 state law that limited the amount public employers can pay for workers'
"I am a five-year teacher who brings home $555.39 for two weeks and who currently qualifies for a Bridge Card," Ratliff told the school board Monday to loud applause from her colleagues. "How is this possible?"The teachers have not had a contract since August, and their union president says the school district has slowed negotiations by first saying it wasn't ready to start bargaining and later by having staff, rather than the school board members who can actually make decisions, run negotiations, constantly saying they don't have the authority to get things done. He also suggests there are ways the district could, if it wanted to, cushion the effects of the retroactive insurance payments by increasing salaries or offering one-time bonuses. But the district isn't talking about that, even though the extra money being taken out of teachers' paychecks goes straight into the district's coffers.Some two dozen teachers told similar stories during nearly an hour of often emotional testimonials. Some told of renting rooms in order to keep their homes while others said they simply can no longer pay their bills.
So: Teachers without a contract are being hit by a new law that slashes their pay, with an employer dragging its feet over bargaining a new contract as teachers are forced to go on
Link to original article at Daily Kos
Add a commentStates - Michigan
Michigan News
Defying Michigan Voters, Gov. Rick Snyder Takes Over Detroit
In November, Michiganders voted the state's undemocratic Emergency Financial Manager law out of existence. But that didn't keep Snyder and legislators from claiming control of Motor City. As of today, Detroit is under the control of a governor-appointed emergency financial manager. The Motor City is the largest district in the nation to have its voters and elected officials sidelined by this new experiment in "crisis management." Michigan residents might be wondering how this EFM got appointed. Didn’t they roundly reject financial managers in a statewide referendum in November? Michigan residents voted to...
Harriet Rowan | PR Watch 28 Mar 2013 Hits:272 Michigan
Read moreDetroit Emergency Manager Scheme Under Fire
On Thursday an emergency manager was named for Detroit, Kevyn Orr, a partner in the Jones Day law firm. MICHAEL STAMPFLER, [email] Available for a limited number of interviews with major media, Stampfler is former emergency manager of Pontiac, Michigan. He said: “I do not believe emergency managers can be successful — they abrogate the civic structure of the community for a period of years then return it virtually dismantled for the community to attempt to somehow make a go of it. The program provides no...
Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) 15 Mar 2013 Hits:535 Michigan
Read morePaycheck cuts force teachers in one Michigan city to go on food stamps
Teachers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, say that new paycheck cuts are leaving them with so little pay they qualify for food stamps. The teachers, working without a contract, have been hit by a 2011 state law that limited the amount public employers can pay for workers'health insurance. That's now being applied retroactively to these teachers, cutting as much as $300 from each paycheck. "I am a five-year teacher who brings home $555.39 for two weeks and who currently qualifies for a Bridge Card," Ratliff told the school board Monday to loud...
Laura Clawson | Daily Kos 06 Mar 2013 Hits:488 Michigan
Read moreMichigan's Shock Doctrine Continues: Governor Appoints Emergency Manager for Detroit
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared the city of Detroit in a state of "fiscal emergency" on Friday afternoon and announced he would appoint a emergency financial manager (EFM) for the city. Neil Munshi reported in the Financial Times that the emergency manager "would have relatively broad powers to handle the city’s dire financial situation." In a blog post on the decision, Snyder writes: "Working together in partnership, we can more quickly and efficiently reform the finances in the city." But the EFM role is not one of ...
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | Common Dreams 02 Mar 2013 Hits:379 Michigan
Read moreLawsuit to strike down Michigan’s Right to Work law filed in federal court
On the heels of a lawsuit filed recently in the Ingham County District Court challenging the constitutionality of Michigan’s new Right to Work law, a coalition of unions has filed a similar lawsuit in federal court. The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit and assigned to Judge Stephen Murphy, claims that the law violates the rights of private sector union members who are covered under federal law rather than the laws of the state of Michigan: The Michigan AFL-CIO, the Building and Trades Council, the Teamsters, SEIU, United Farm...
Eclecta Blog 16 Feb 2013 Hits:914 Michigan
Read moreMichigan's Lame Duck Had Wings and Flew
Michigan’s so-called lame duck legislature passed a remarkable 232 bills in its last week of business. Only one bill, SB 0116 (2011), the so-called Right to Work Bill, passed on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were busy days with 100 and 117 bills respectively passing and Friday was a short day with 14 bills passing before the 2011-2012 legislature adjourned for the last time. I was standing outside the east wall of the Capitol Building below the House chamber windows chanting “Kill the bill!” when the one unthinkable happened; bill SB 0116...
Ernie Whiteside | Vine Street Report 30 Dec 2012 Hits:338 Michigan
Read moreMichigan Bills Limiting Union Power Pass in Legislature
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Legislature approved sweeping legislation on Tuesday that vastly reduces the power of organized labor in a state that has been a symbol of union dominance and served as an incubator for union activity over decades of modern American labor history. The two bills, approved by the House of Representatives over the shouts of thousands of angry union protesters who gathered on the lawn outside the Capitol building, will among other things, bar both public and private sector workers from being...
Monica Davey | The New York Times 11 Dec 2012 Hits:425 Michigan
Read moreRep. Dave Curson: The 7-week congressman
Newly elected Rep. Dave Curson moved into his spacious, sun-drenched Capitol Hill office three weeks ago, eager to savor every minute of his congressional career. And relish it he must: In four more weeks, it’ll all be over. The Michigan Democrat just won his first congressional race, but in a twist of redistricting he’s already a lame duck. He was elected to a mere seven-week stint, ending on Jan. 2, to finish out Republican former Rep. Thad McCotter’s term. (PHOTOS: Thad McCotter's career) So Curson is spending his final...
Seung Min Kim | Politico 07 Dec 2012 Hits:691 Michigan
Read moreRight-to-work legislation passed in both chambers of Michigan’s legislature
Lansing, MI – Many concerned worker gathered in Lansing today as Republican legislators scrambled to move forward two bills that had been dormant in their committees for most of the last two years. Today was the last day for this lame duck legislature to move forward a bill in one chamber and still have time to act on the same bill in the other chamber. As the day began, House Bill 4054 and Senate Bill 116 were identical bills that would allow local units of government to establish so-called right-to-work zones....
Ernie Whiteside 07 Dec 2012 Hits:464 Michigan
Read moreDavid Curson, Michigan Rep. Finishing Thad McCotter's Term, Has 6 Weeks To Make His Mark
WASHINGTON — Driving from Michigan in his Ford F150 pickup truck, David Curson arrived in Washington a week ago. He set up an office last Sunday, was sworn in as a congressman on Tuesday and by Friday had logged his first votes and given his first floor speech – one that stretched a bit past the one minute he'd been allotted. The 64-year-old Democrat has no time to waste. In six weeks, he'll be gone. In Congress' packed lame-duck session, Curson is a curiosity. He was one of four...
Henry C. Jackson | Huffington Post 17 Nov 2012 Hits:492 Michigan
Read moreFour GOP House Staffers From Michigan Indicted for Election Fraud
Four congressional aides to Michigan Republican U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter have been indicted for falsifying nominating petitions for McCotter's 2012 re-election bid, Michigan’s Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Thursday. "The investigation conducted by this division [Michigan Attorney General Criminal Division] revealed that the petition collection efforts were carried out by a dysfunctional congressional staff that had completely lost its moral compass," the AG's August 9 investigative report said. "Staffers functioned in a culture completely indifferent to the requirements of law, and with...
Steven Rosenfeld | AlterNet 10 Aug 2012 Hits:536 Michigan
Read moreMichigan Supreme Court Orders Emergency Manager Measure Onto Ballot
The ballot initiative to repeal Michigan's onerous, anti-democratic Emergency Manager law will go on the November ballot, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Friday. The repeal campaign had collected enough signatures, only to be faced with a challenge to the font size on the petitions. The State Board of Canvassers was deadlocked along partisan lines over the font size question, but at the Supreme Court, one Republican joined Democrats in voting to approve the measure's inclusion on the ballot, though on different grounds (whichEclectablog analyzes). Four justices agreed to direct...
Laura Clawson | DailyKos Labor 07 Aug 2012 Hits:523 Michigan
Read moreFinancial board OKs Mayor Dave Bing's plan to slash pay, benefits for union workers
In its first major action on righting the city's finances, Detroit's financial advisory board approved Mayor Dave Bing's plans Thursday for $100 million in cuts to the city's unionized workforce that his administration is expected to impose without negotiations. Included are a 10% pay decrease, higher out-of-pocket health care costs and limits on overtime. • Detroit Mayor Dave Bing tells crowd that change is on the way The wage reduction would apply to police and firefighters, a cut that Bing long has sought. In addition, workers would move...
Matt Helms and Suzette Hackney | Detroit Free Press 15 Jul 2012 Hits:582 Michigan
Read moreWomen’s Health Care Should Never Be A Political Game… But That Is Exactly What It Has Beco…
Women’s health care should never be a political game. And yet, any time there is a contentious election around the corner, that is exactly what it becomes. Never has that been more true than right now in Michigan. As a woman, a mother and a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, I watched with horror as people who want to restrict access to women’s health care options attempted to fast track a package of anti-abortion bills through the state Legislature in the past month. A...
Lisa Brown State Representative (Mich.) | National Partnership for Women and Families 29 Jun 2012 Hits:423 Michigan
Read morePlanned Parenthood, Others to Protest Romney Fundraiser in Troy
Planned Parenthood's mascot, "Pillamina," is expected to be present Wednesday during a protest outside Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's fundraiser at the Troy Marriott hotel. Credit Planned Parenthood of Michigan Protestors will march from the Troy Community Center to the fundraiser at the Troy Marriott hotel Wednesday afternoon. While Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney prepares to attend two private fundraisers in Michigan on Wednesday – including a fundraiser hosted by Gov. Rick Snyder at the Troy Marriott hotel – opponents of Romney are planning to protest the former Massachusetts governor's visit to...
Jen Anesi | Troy Patch 21 Jun 2012 Hits:608 Michigan
Read moreHow a Book Burning P…
What good is knowledge, if no one has access to it? That was the underlying question in Troy, Michigan where Tea Party activists sought to thwart a …
Don't Just Blame the…
There has been much talk recently about the war on women, and for good reason — the onslaught of anti-choice legislation authored, sponsored, and voted into law…
Michigan Looks to Pa…
In what the ACLU of Michigan has called the "greatest assault on reproductive rights" in the state's history, Michigan lawmakers are pushing a slew of anti-abortion measures they've…
Communication as a H…
Digital justice organizers work to move beyond questions of Internet access and work to bring control of media production and distribution to underserved communities. Until very recently, the…
Time for an uprising…
Benton Harbor, Mich., is a town of nearly 11,000 people, about 90 percent of whom are African American. It is a catalogue of the misery of the industrial…
Thousands Occupy Dow…
DETROIT – Thousands of marchers, many of them Black youth, union members and church leaders, occupied the streets of downtown Detroit for several hours April 25 outside General Electric’s …
Detroit Union Applie…
Working closely with local groups and Occupy, United Auto Workers Local 600 has been an integral part of actions that have succeeded in blocking evictions. "The time it takes us lawyers…
Oppose Cyber School …
Michigan State Senate Bill 619 was passed by the Senate last October and has found its way to the floor of the House with substitutions (read the Legislative…
Battle For Detroit: …
In another midwestern state, a confrontation is peaking between a GOP governor and the fate of a major city's public employees. On Tuesday, while President Obama was railing against the latest…
PDA In Your State
PDA Radio - Upcoming Show
Take Action
Issue Team Calls
| Tue May 21, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Healthcare for All Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 733525# |
| Wed May 22, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM End Corporate Rule IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 754227# |
| Mon May 27, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM PDA ERA 3 State Strategy Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 787085# |
| Tue May 28, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 314363# |
| Wed Jun 05, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Economic and Social Justice Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 781761# |
| Mon Jun 10, 2013 @ 8:30PM - 09:30PM End Mass Criminalizations IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 331473# |
| Tue Jun 11, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM End Wars and Occupations Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 952870# |
| Tue Jun 18, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Healthcare for All Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 733525# |
| Wed Jun 19, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Stop Global Warming Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 661274# |
| Mon Jun 24, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM PDA ERA 3 State Strategy Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 787085# |
PDA Issues
PDA is organized around several core issues. These issues include:
- End Corporate Rule
- Healthcare for All/Single Payer
- ERA 3 State Strategy
- Economic and Social Justice
- End Wars and Occupations
- Stop Global Warming
- End Mass Criminalization
- Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections
- Stop Voter Suppression
Each team hosts a monthly conference call. Calls feature legislators, staffers and other policy experts. On these calls we determine PDA legislation to support as well as actions and future events.
Michigan Leadership
For support in organizing within your state, contact:
State Leadership
Email us at: michigan@pdamerica.org
Chapters
Greater Detroit Region
Progressive Democrats of Monroe County Michigan
Planned Chapters
Kalamazoo
Want to bring progressive change to Michigan? Start a PDA chapter; send us an email and we'll get you started.
MI Legislators with ALEC Ties
House of Representatives
- Former Rep. Frank Accavitti, Jr. (D-42), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2008[102]
- Majority Caucus Chair Dave Agema (R-74), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2008[102]
- Former Rep. Fran Amos (R-43), registered for ALEC annual meeting in 2005 and paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2006 and 2007[102]
- Former Rep. Richard A. Bandstra (R-Grand Rapids, 1985-1994, Michigan 3rd Court of Appeals through January 2003), Former "Public Sector Chairman," Civil Justice Task Force[103]
- Former Rep. Bill Caul (R-99), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007[102]
- Former House Speaker Craig DeRoche (R-38), paid ALEC membership dues in 2006 and sent three staffers to ALEC annual meeting in 2006 (for $1,200) with taxpayer funds[102]
- Former Rep. Leon Drolet (R-33), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[102]
- Former Rep. David Farhat (R-91), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[102]
- Former Rep. Edward Gaffney (R-1), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007[102]
- Rep. Judson Gilbert (R-81), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 while a state senator[104]
- Rep. Gail Haines (R-43); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. Ken Horn (R-94), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2011[102], Civil Justice Task Force member
- Former Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-90, now Michigan Congressman R-2), ALEC Alumni in Congress,[105] paid ALEC membership with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007 while a state representative[102]
- Former Rep. Jerry Kooiman (R-75), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[102]
- Rep. Eileen Kowall (R-44), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2011[102]
- Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R-58), ALEC Health and Human Services Task Force[106]
- Rep. Matthew Lori, (R-59), ALEC Health and Human Services Task Force[106]
- Rep. Peter J. Lund (R-36); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. Tom McMillin (R-45), sponsored 2011 HB 4050. Compare to ALEC's "Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act"[107]
- Former Rep. Kimberley Meltzer (R-33), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2009[102]
- Former Rep. Tim Moore (R-97), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2007[102]
- Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R-80); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Former Rep. Tom Pearce (R-73), registered for 2006 ALEC annual meeting and paid 2009 ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds[102]
- Rep. Amanda Price (R-89); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Former Rep. Rick Shaffer (R-59), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007[102]
- Former Rep. Fulton Sheen (R-88), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005, 2006 and 2007[102]
- Rep. Mike Shirkey (R-65), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2011[102]
- Former Rep. John Stahl (R-82), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2008[102]
- Former Rep. John Stakoe (R-44), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007[102]
- Former Rep. Glenn Steil, Jr. (R-72), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007[102]
- Former Rep. William Van Regenmorter (R-74), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[102]
Senate
- Sen. Jason Allen (R-37), former ALEC State Chairman[108], paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2006[104]
- Former Sen. Patricia Birkholz (R-24), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[104]
- Sen. Darwin Booher (R-35), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005, 2007 and 2009 while a state representative[102]
- Former Sen. Cameran Brown (R-16), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[104]
- Sen. Bruce Caswell (R-16), Health and Human Services Task Force[106]
- Former Sen. Valde Garcia (R-22), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[104]
- Sen. Mike Green (R-31), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2011[104]
- Sen. Goeff Hansen (R-34), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005, 2007 and 2009 (twice) while a state representative,[102] Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force member
- Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R-29), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005, 2007 and 2009 while a state representative,[102] and in 2011 while a state senator<ref="MichiganSenate"/>
- Sen. Rick Jones (R-24), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 while a state representative[102]
- Sen. Mike Kowall (R-15), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2009 while a state representative, and in 2011[102]
- Former Sen. Wayne Kuipers (R-30), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[104]
- Sen. Arlan B. Meekhoff (R-30), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2009 while a state representative[102]
- Sen. John Moolenar (R-36), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007 while a state representative[102]
- Sen. Mike Nofs (R-19), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2008 while a state representative[102]
- Former Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-7), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2009[104]
- Sen. David B. Robertson (R-26), paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2005[102]
- Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-20), State Chairman[109]; Civil Justice Task Force
Information from SourceWatch