Patrick J. Wright, director of the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, was a guest on "The Frank Beckmann Show" on WJR AM760 this morning, discussing passage of Senate Bill 1018, which clearly defines home health aides as private individuals, rather than public employees, thereby saving them from being forced into a government union.
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
Inside Higher Ed today writes about the victory graduate student research assistants at public universities won after Gov. Rick Snyder signed House Bill 4246 to protect them from forced unionization.
The Midland Daily News also reported on the development.
MLive.com ran a Viewpoint commentary about Michigan’s alcohol wholesale monopoly by Michael LaFaive, director of the Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, in the Grand Rapids Press, Saginaw News, Bay City Times, Flint Journal and Jackson Citizen Patriot. The Advisor & Source newspaper chain also ran the piece in the Sterling Heights Source and the Shelby Township Advisor.
Patrick J. Wright, director of the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, told MIRS Capitol Capsule that he will “monitor the situation” as the Service Employees International Union attempts to enshrine its forced unionization of home health aides.
“They recognize that there’s a movement for a legislative end to this and they have money to spend,” Wright said.
New data released by The Chronicle of Higher Education help compare colleges in terms of effectiveness and efficiency by looking at both completion rates and spending per degree earned.
On average, about 61 percent of first-time students earn a degree or certification from a four-year public university within six years of enrolling, and these universities spend about $75,900 for each degree they issue.
Senior Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh was a guest this morning on "The Tony Conley Show" on WILS AM1320 in Lansing, where he discussed the possibility that Michigan could eventually have the highest gas taxes in the nation.
Education Policy Director Michael Van Beek writes in this Detroit Free Press Op-Ed why the “Michigan2020” college subsidy plan won’t increase the number of college graduates in the state or boost Michigan’s economy.
He has more details here.
MichiganVotes.org sends a weekly report to newspapers and TV stations around the state showing how state legislators in their service area voted on the most important or interesting bills of the past week. Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting
Senate Bill 756, Ban hands-on cell phone use by new drivers: Passed 28 to 10 in the Senate
To prohibit an individual with a level 1 or 2 graduated drivers license status (new drivers age 17 or younger) from operating a motor vehicle while using a hands-on cell phone.
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy, was a guest on "The Lucy Ann Lance Show" on WLBY AM1290 in Ann Arbor this morning, discussing his new study explaining why the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System should be converted from a defined-benefit plan to a defined-contribution plan.
March 11-17 is Sunshine Week, a “national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.” One government body that deserves praise for embracing a spirit of transparency is Oakridge Public Schools, just east of Muskegon.
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
Paul Kersey, director of labor policy, was a guest this morning on "The Vic McCarty Show" on WMKT AM1270 in Traverse City, where he discussed a proposed union-backed ballot initiative what he has said is "self-centered and reckless."
The proposed constitutional amendment would establish collective bargaining for government employees as a "right" and undo several reforms that have saved taxpayers millions of dollars.
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
Patrick J. Wright, director of the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, was a guest this morning on "The Frank Beckmann Show" on WJR AM760, where he discussed a new law signed yesterday by Gov. Rick Snyder that saves graduate student research assistants at public universities from forced unionization.
James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy, was a guest on "The Charlie Langton Show" on WXYT AM1270 this morning, discussing his new study explaining why the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System should be converted from a defined-benefit plan to a defined-contribution plan.
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
Members of Michigan’s largest teachers union apparently have a “good for me but not for thee” attitude when it comes to applying “tenure” provisions to school superintendents.
Some 98% of the teachers in the Freeland Community Schools recently voted “no confidence” in their superintendent, according the Midland Daily News. A no-confidence vote by union members in their bosses is fairly frequent in Michigan school districts (see here, here, here and here) and often precedes the firing of these superintendents.
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
A recent editorial in The Washington Times compared a $50 LED light bulb that recently won a $10 million government prize for being environmentally efficient and “affordable for American families” to the Chevy Volt, citing research by Assistant Fiscal Policy Director James Hohman that each vehicle sold cost taxpayers up to $250,000 in subsidies.
MichiganVotes.org sends a weekly report to newspapers and TV stations around the state showing how state legislators in their service area voted on the most important or interesting bills of the past week. Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting
House Bill 4929, Ban using public school resources to deduct union dues: Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate; Passed 56 to 54 in the House
To prohibit school districts from using public resources (including their payroll processing systems) to deduct union dues or fees from employees’ pay, and then sending the money to a union. This practice is the current norm, so the bill would require unions to make alternative arrangements to collect dues from school employees. The Senate added a small appropriation, which makes the bill "referendum-proof" under a 2001 state Supreme Court decision.
- In the Senate, Republicans Casperson, Caswell, Colbeck, Green, Nofs and Proos joined all Democrats in voting "no."
- In the House, Republicans Glardon, Graves, Horn, Muxlow, Poleski, Shaughnessy and Tyler joined all Democrats in voting “no.”
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
Some Michigan politicians are touting a proposal they call “Michigan2020,” which would make available to all Michigan high school graduates four years of fully subsidized college education.
The estimated $1.8 billion needed to pay for the subsidies would apparently come from ending corporate welfare, a reform the Mackinac Center fully endorses. Unfortunately, just pouring additional taxpayer dollars into state universities is more likely to benefit their administrators and other employees than students, and here’s why:
Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement.
