There’s a great deal of discussion surrounding the reasons that there are so many job vacancies right now at a time when unemployment levels are high. No matter how you analyze it, however, there is simply no getting around the fact that, along with wages that haven’t kept up with the cost of living, it’s lack of available, affordable, reliable […]

There is a common convention that sunshine is the best disinfectant. While that does not apply to the COVID-19 pandemic (wearing a mask, washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, and getting vaccinated when you are eligible are the answers there, not sunshine), it does apply to another scourge that has plagued Michigan for decades; one that will hopefully be rectified […]

Champion for equality says Michigan Legislature should focus on real problems, urges Michiganders to voice opposition to bigoted bill. Never one to mince words, Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) is particularly blunt in his condemnation of the “bathroom bill” introduced by State Senator Tom Casperson. I spoke with Rep. Kildee the day after Senate Bill 993 was introduced in the Michigan […]

Sponsors call the law “cruel and unnecessary” and are fighting to restore women’s full access to healthcare. In 2013, Michigan made national news — and not in a good way — for passing a law that forces women to buy additional health insurance for necessary medical care during a miscarriage or abortion, even in cases of rape and when the […]

In one day, it passed out of committee and is up for a House vote. Despite what the bill’s proponents claim, the RFRA would enshrine discrimination on religious grounds into state law. UPDATED following House vote. There’s still time to take action. See below. It’s happening even faster than we’d feared. Following a hearing, the Michigan House of Representatives House […]

Hearings set for Dec. 3 and 4 on two pieces of legislation critical to the LGBT community and beyond. Take action now. If you believe that every Michigander deserves equal protection under the law — with no exceptions — the time to be heard is now. The Michigan Legislature is holding hearings on two pieces of legislation this week that […]

Study released by the University of Michigan shows how Michigan may set an example for other states.

Tens of thousands have been cut off from the benefits they earned.

A study released this week found that the Michigan legislature’s cuts to unemployment insurance have meant a loss of benefits for 14,000 to 32,000 Michiganders a week. (full disclosure here, one of the study’s authors is a personal friend, and has been a client on other issues).

For those who may have missed it at the time, Governor Snyder and the legislature shorted the period the short-term jobless can collect unemployment from 26 weeks to 20 weeks, along with reducing eligibility and making it easier for employers to contest claims. And this was during a period where the national unemployment rate has remained high, and Michigan’s jobless rate one of the highest in the nation.

Politicians and special interest groups aren’t telling the whole truth about the law’s impact on women’s health. With the help of an OB/GYN, we set the record straight. People across the country are appalled by the new law passed by the Republican-led Michigan Legislature, based on a petition created by Right to Life of Michigan. The law prohibits all Michigan […]

He must be on one heck of a power trip, fueled by hot air and tea bags. Michiganders who support Medicaid expansion — and that’s a majority, by most accounts — have been waiting all day for a vote in the Senate on Medicaid expansion. As of this writing, they’re still waiting. After hours of deliberation, one vote went down […]