Posts tagged Michigan
MICHIGAN: Labor unions praise ‘responsible bidder’ ordinances while contractors warn of workforce shortages
July 30, 2025 // But contractors say some elements of the plan would unfairly impact local bidders. Jeremiah Leyba is the director of engineering for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, which represents more than 500 companies in Michigan. He says not all contractors can easily access federal apprenticeship programs and also rely on trade school diplomas, community college degrees and industry certifications for workforce development. “The city of Lansing would be excluding bidders that are highly qualified, and with dwindling workforces across the state, it is an exclusion no municipality can responsibly afford,” Leyba said. Several localities in Michigan already have responsible bidder ordinances in place, including Jackson, Royal Oak and Detroit.
Michigan-Based Rieth-Riley Asphalt Worker Submits Legal Brief Urging 6th Circuit to Protect Workers’ Right to Vote Out Unpopular Union
July 28, 2025 // While Kent and his fellow employees were eventually able to exercise their right to vote on the IUOE, the NLRB in 2022 dismissed his petitions and halted the election, declining to count the already-cast ballots just hours before the vote tally, calling it a “merit-determination” dismissal. This dismissal was based on unfair labor practice allegations the IUOE filed against Rieth-Riley management in 2018. But the NLRB never held a hearing on whether those alleged practices had any connection to Kent and his coworkers’ desire to oust the union. Kent’s brief urges the Sixth Circuit to use Rieth-Riley Construction Co. as an opportunity to invalidate the NLRB’s “merit-determination” dismissal policy. The brief also asks the Court to order the NLRB to take the long-overdue step of counting the ballots in Mr. Kent’s decertification election, so he and his coworkers can properly exercise their right to vote on the union.
Michigan’s auto jobs drive South from 8 Mile to I-65
July 23, 2025 // The biggest winner was North Carolina, which added 1 million+ jobs in other industries over the period. But the Tarheel State lost 12% of its auto jobs in that time. Even auto winner Alabama added five times more jobs in other sectors than it did in auto jobs. The number of overall jobs in North Carolina from 2000 to 2023 increased by more than 27%, while the number of jobs in Tennessee grew by 23.7%. The overall national average of jobs growth during those years was 18.3%.
Michigan lawmakers introduce state bills paving way for college athletes to unionize
July 10, 2025 // Since July 1, student-athletes must disclose any NIL deals made outside the university worth more than $600 to a new third-party entity called "NIL Go." The NCAA says this ensures both sides are getting a fair value, but Rep. Joe Tate says otherwise. "We want to be clear to make sure that no entity is allowed to interrupt a student-athlete's ability to enter into a contract," said Tate, D-Detroit. "Then they don't have to submit a contract to the NCAA for approval. If you're going to a university in Michigan, it restricts them from doing that."
U-M threatened pro-Palestinian students, union alleges
June 19, 2025 // On April 21, 2024, the Graduate Employees’ Organization filed a class action grievance against U-M. It accused then-President Santa Ono of “threatening students” by stating that U-M “will not shy away from protecting the values we hold dear. Those who participate in disruptive activity will be held accountable.” The GEO criticized the U-M administration for having “contributed to a climate of hostility, harassment, and repression on Palestine-related issues for members of the bargaining unit.” More than 100 undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, alumni, and others signed the document with redacted names. CapCon obtained the documents through a records request. The student union demanded that the university tell all staff members in written communication that there is an ongoing genocide in Palestine. It also said the university must acknowledge the right of graduate student instructors to engage in pro-Palestine speech in the classroom. The university, it added, needed to ”recognize that pro-Palestine speech is legitimate."
General Motors to park $4 billion in its U.S. manufacturing plants over two years
June 11, 2025 // "The new investment will give GM the ability to assemble more than two million vehicles per year in the U.S." the company said in a statement. The announcement comes after GM's (NYSE:GM) recently revealed plan to invest $888 million in the Tonawanda Propulsion plant outside Buffalo, New York, to power GM's next-generation V-8 engine.
Nurses walk off job at Henry Ford Rochester Hospital in labor dispute
June 10, 2025 // The hospital states that it staffs its hospitals based on patient volumes and other factors and that mandated staffing ratios hinder its ability to adapt to varying patient conditions. The two sides are also at odds over what the union claims is bad faith bargaining and alleges that they are being retaliated against.
Home health care provider urges caution over SEIU petition
June 6, 2025 // Gloria Henry, the mother of a special needs child has a message for home health care providers now that a Service Employees International Union member showed up at her house. Anyone who is visited by an SEIU representative should be wary of what they are signing, Henry told Michigan Capitol Confidential. The union is collecting signatures to organize caregivers who care for their loved ones at home. The Legislature approved a law in fall 2024 that categorized home caretakers as government employees
Mercedes-Benz is yanking 400 jobs out of Michigan — and ‘doubling down’ on Georgia
May 27, 2025 // Georgia is on its way to becoming a key automotive hub in the U.S. Porsche (VWAGY) opened its North American headquarters there in 1998. Kia (HYMTF) opened its first North American plant in West Point in 2010. More recently, Hyundai opened an EV factory there in March 2025, touting it as “the largest economic development project in the state’s history [...].” Back in Michigan, a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services spokesperson told the Detroit Free Press that the company is maintaining 180 R&D jobs in the state. “That number will grow to up to 200 total technical roles in Michigan for Mercedes-Benz,” said communications director Melinda Mernovage. “The roles leaving Michigan are not layoffs, and all employees will have the opportunity to transfer to the Atlanta headquarters.”
Stellantis Announces $388 Million Investment in Metro Detroit Megahub
May 26, 2025 // The AutoStore system uses compact robots that navigate tracks above a high-density grid of storage bins to retrieve parts and deliver them to workstations, where employees pack and process final shipments. This advanced automation improves order speed and accuracy, maximizes storage efficiency and helps accelerate delivery times for customers and dealers. As part of its broader consolidation strategy, Stellantis recently sold its Michigan parts distribution centers (PDC) in Center Line and Marysville, as well as one in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Operations at these facilities will continue under a sale-leaseback agreement, providing essential support until the Metro Detroit Megahub and Warren Sherwood e-coat upfitting facility are complete.