Posts tagged Michigan constitution
State Health Dept. Sued Over Forced Unionizing of Michigan Home Caregivers
October 19, 2026 // The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s effort to classify home caregivers as state employees for union representation. The lawsuit seeks to enforce the Michigan Constitution’s rules governing state employment and invalidate the election that certified SEIU Healthcare Michigan as the bargaining representative for home caregivers. The foundation represents James “Jase” Bolger, a former member of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Bolger brings the lawsuit as a citizen, as the Michigan Constitution allows any citizen to sue to enforce its civil service provisions.
Former Michigan House speaker sues over home caregiver ‘dues skim’
October 14, 2026 // The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed the lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims on Wednesday, Oct. 7, on behalf of former House Speaker Jase Bolger, a Republican who also previously served as a member of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Bolger, president & CEO of the West Michigan Policy Forum, is bringing the suit in his personal capacity.
Caregivers sue state over ‘false’ public employee classification
October 20, 2025 // The practice drew widespread condemnation when the Mackinac Center brought it to light early in the previous decade. But the SEIU refused to accept defeat after the Legislature ended the practice. The union struck back with a 2012 ballot initiative that failed by a 56% to 44% vote. Following that failure, SEIU used various means to keep alive the idea that home care workers are employees of the government. The union got its second chance last year, when the Democratic trifecta under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer quietly enacted laws classifying home care workers as public employees and opening caregivers’ personal records to the union. As happened in 2005, the SEIU got its win, but with a very small vote.
We’re Suing to Stop Unions from Stealing from Home Caregivers
August 4, 2025 // This isn’t the first time that Michigan caregivers have been targeted by unions seeking to skim dues off their stipends. Democrats put in place the same unjust policy in 2005, and the Service Employees International Union went on to take an estimated $34 million from home caregivers in just six years, before Republicans repealed it. But this time, caregivers like Tammy hopefully won’t have to wait for a change in power. The courts can protect them.
Whitmer would violate her own directive by signing right-to-work repeal
March 23, 2023 // An appropriation attached to the bill gives it immunity to a voter referendum, something Whitmer once opposed Whitmer publicly opposes the practice of referendum-proofing legislation in this way, and she issued an executive directive prohibiting the practice in 2019. “I intend to veto legislation that circumvents the right to a referendum,” Whitmer wrote in Executive Directive 2019-07.
Michigan Teachers’ Unions’ Desperate ‘Dark Money’ Fearmongering
February 9, 2022 // The unions and their allies are running out of options to preserve the public-school monopoly and deny the state’s families educational choice.