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Jobs 
Mon Jan 02, 2012 at 10:13:16 AM EST
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As the next Congressional fight over payroll tax extensions and unemployment benefits and pipelines gets set up in the next few weeks for either its final chapter or to be kicked down the road a bit farther, one or the other, you're going to hear a lot from our Republican friends about how much they value work and workers; most especially, they'll tell you, they value American jobs for American workers.
After all, they'll say, creating American jobs is the most important thing of all.
But if we were to look back over just the last few months, some would tell us, we could quickly find examples of how Republicans promote ideas that don't seem to value work or workers at all, much less American jobs.
Well as it turns out, "some" seem to be right; to illustrate one of those examples we'll look back a month or two or three to a time some Republicans might wish was long, long, ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
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Thu Dec 08, 2011 at 14:25:01 PM EST
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Republicans in Congress are at it again. For the fifth time in two months Congressional Republicans blocked Democratic efforts to extend the payroll tax cut for 160 million working Americans and small business owners. Why? Because it asks the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share by including a tiny surtax on income - excluding small-businesses and job creation - above $1 million.
Republicans are using your money as leverage to protect the millionaires and billionaires that bankroll their campaigns.
That’s not right.
In Michigan, the tax cut would mean an average of $1,430 in lower taxes for a typical working family - money that families need to pay for costs like health care, education and mortgages. As wages struggle to keep up with the cost of living, working Michiganders can hardly afford a $1,000 tax increase, but Rep. Dan Benishek isn’t listening: "The temporary tax breaks for the payroll tax ... I'm not in favor of that."
Rep. Benishek’s Congressional District was hit hard by the recession: 15 percent of his constituents and 21 percent of the children living in his district live in poverty. But if Congress doesn’t act, 5.2 million Michiganders will see their taxes increase by an average of more than $1,000 next year.
But Northern Michigan’s Dan Benishek isn’t the only Michigan Republican letting politics get in the way of helping the middle-class. In fact, nearly every Congressional Republican from Michigan is on record as opposing the payroll tax cut - or won’t say whether they support it. The list reads like a Who’s Who of paid-for far-right ideologues beholden to the deep-pocketed corporations that have bankrolled their campaigns:
Michigan’s Congressional Republicans need to get it through their heads: We need an economy that works for everyone, not just CEOs and Wall Street companies. Sign our petition calling on Rep. Dan Benishek and other Congressional Republicans to put working Michiganders ahead of millionaire tax giveaways by extending the payroll tax cut.
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Sat Sep 17, 2011 at 18:27:40 PM EDT
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There are 100 plus jobs available in Plymouth and Holland, Michigan.
Please feel free to blog, email, or post this anywhere
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Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 07:51:47 AM EDT
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When last we met, it was to discuss a Big Idea that the Obama Administration might apply to get some job creation going, despite a difficult Congress; the Big Idea was to look at the "Buy American" provisions that exist in our laws, regulations, and Executive Orders and see if we could practice a bit of "jobs arbitrage" by not just meeting the "Made in USA" requirements when governments across this country make purchases, but exceeding them.
(As it stands today, pretty much any "good or service" with more than 50% Made in USA content qualifies as a Made in USA purchase, even if 49% of the "good or service" comes from somewhere else).
At the time, I told you that if all went well we could look forward to comments from both Labor and the Administration as to the practicality of the Big Idea, and as it turns out I have comments for you that hit close to that mark - and a bit more besides:
On Saturday I just happened to bump into Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09); in the course of that conversation I told him what we're doing here, and he wanted to offer a few thoughts of his own...and when you put all that together, I think we're going to have a lot to talk about.
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Mon Aug 15, 2011 at 11:52:40 AM EDT
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We gotta grow some jobs, and that's a fact, and we probably aren't going to be able to do it with big ol' jobs programs funded by the Federal Government, what with today's politics and all, and that means if this Administration wants to stay in the jobs game they're going to have to find some smaller and more creative ways to do it.
They are also going to have to come up with ideas that are pretty much "bulletproof", meaning that they are so hard to object to that even Allen West and Louie Gohmert will not want to be on record saying "no no no!"; alternatively, solutions that work around the legislative process entirely could represent the other form of "bulletproof-ery".
Well, I have one of those "maybe bulletproof" ideas for you today, and it has to do with how "Made in USA" the things are that our Government buys.
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Fri Feb 11, 2011 at 05:32:16 AM EST
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Engineers and IT pros who have left Michigan in search of work— it's time to come home!
In an unexpected turn of events, the new Job Hub 2011 planned by economic development departments from cities across Oakland and Macomb counties has more jobs than applicants, especially in the engineering field.
The Oakland Macomb Job Hub 2011 will be held on Thursday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Oakland University. Candidates have until Feb. 17 to preregister for the event. Preregistration is required. Laurie Johnson, economic development coordinator for the city of Auburn Hills and an event organizer, says 54 employers are signed up thus far and 300 applicants.
“The majority of employers who have signed up to participate in the Job Hub 2011 are seeking engineers and information technology professionals. Bright Automotive, for example, hopes to fill its previously announced 200 engineering jobs largely through the Job Hub,” Johnson said. “Many of Michigan’s engineers left the state in 2008 and 2009 for new career opportunities when they lost their jobs here. We want those former Michiganders to come home and apply their skills in our state and our region again.”
Other engineer-seeking companies signed up to participate in the Oakland Macomb Job Hub 2011 include Dow Corning, FANUC Robotics, Magna eCar, Gibbs Technology, ALTe, and Rayconnect.
Johnson said there will be employers looking to fill non-engineering positions at the Job Hub as well. "Health care jobs in customer service and patient care are available from Wright and Filippis; The Art Institute is hiring for faculty, sales and admissions positions; State Farm has a need for insurance agents; and Arvin Meritor has openings for analyst, manufacturing and marketing positions,” she said. “While there may be an emphasis on engineers, the need for other specialty areas is still significant.”
Out-of-state job seekers that cannot attend should forward their resumes to gentrym@rochesterhills.org so their credentials can be reviewed by participating employers.
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Tue Aug 10, 2010 at 02:59:07 AM EDT
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As I pick up the pace of work again, coming into the midterms, I have to get some stories cleared off the desk in order to make room for some others, and that's what we're about today.
We'll be talking about saving more than 300,000 of this country's most important jobs, and paying for it in a way that is not only good policy, but is a real problem for Republicans who are yelling "no new taxes!" once again while pretending they care about actually paying for actual spending and actually want to cut actual unemployment.
We have a bit of work to do today, but we want to keep it somewhat short...so let's get going.
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Fri Feb 19, 2010 at 07:52:39 AM EST
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Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com.
On February 18, 2010, Organizing for America (OFA), Health Care for American NOW! (HCAN) and no less than THIRTY other organizations sponsored a CALL FOR ACTION rally in Madison Heights in southeastern Michigan calling for Congress to act now on jobs for Michigan. These sponsoring groups represent a broad coalition of interests including health care reform, peace, immigration reform, clean energy and climate change prevention, jobs/labor, and social justice. There were about 350-400 people in attendance. This was just one of many such rallies being held across the country.
At the rally we were joined by two U.S. Members of Congress, Sandry Levin (MI-12) and John Conyers, Jr. (MI-14).
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Tue Dec 15, 2009 at 09:18:30 AM EST
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Remember all the hysteria over the possibility of moving some Guantanamo detainees to Standish, MI?
Well, Pete Hoekstra & Mike Rogers can breathe a sigh of relief -- no more than 100 detainees will be transferred to the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, IL. Located about 150 miles from Chicago, the 1,600 cell maximum security facility currently houses 200 minimum-security inmates.
[skip] in Thomson many have welcomed the prospect as a potential economic engine. Thomson Village President Jerry Hebeler, was asleep when the word came that Thomson had been chosen.
"It's news to me, but then I'm always the last to know anything," Hebeler said Monday night of the news affecting his town of 450 residents. "It'll be good for the village and the surrounding area, especially with all the jobs that have been lost here."
Hmmm.
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Wed Nov 18, 2009 at 06:38:50 AM EST
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(Very cool! - promoted by LiberalLucy)
This week I've been in Israel, on a trade mission to cultivate water technology economic development in Michigan. As co-chair of the joint Michigan-Israeli working group on water technology, I know there's great opportunity to diversify our economy and create jobs -- while leveraging our most precious natural resource, the Great Lakes.
I want to be clear: I am not proposing to sell Michigan's water. Companies seeking to use our water should locate here in Michigan -- where they can have all the water they need. Instead, through our Green Jobs for Blue Waters initiative, I want to position Michigan as North America's center of excellence for water technology. Right now, water technologies are a $500 billion global market -- but by 2020, that market is expected to grow to nearly $1 trillion. That means great opportunity for Michigan's economy -- and that is why we intend on seizing the opportunity, much as we did to become the Nation's leader in advanced battery technology.
Michigan's unique position in the water technology field proves we are at the forefront of this technology. Michigan's location in the middle of the Great Lakes, which contain about 20 percent of the world's supply of fresh water, has primed the state's successes in agriculture, tourism and the auto industry. We need to continue to protect water resources and use it wisely for economic development purposes that include retention of current businesses and the attraction of new ones.
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 at 16:56:52 PM EDT
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We’ve heard it all before: President X proposes Y and Z in his (or hers – future tense, people), and sometimes even A in the proposed budget. But what we haven’t heard before, however, is words of encouragement from a leader who actually seems like he might be on the level.
Obviously, we’re talking about President Obama, and more specifically, referencing his proposed 2010 budget. In this landmark document, the prez has allotted significant funding for little things like, oh, let’s see, health care reform, job creation, new energy investment, and tax cuts for the middleclass. It’s the usual stuff, but it’s done in the most unusual way: with a certain degree of transparency, Obama has allowed the American people to see just exactly how the budget is going to work and to understand the very specific ways in which they will be helped by the programs the budget is set to cover.
Now, we probably don’t need to explain why these things would be so important for Michigan. Here in the Great Lakes state, it’s almost beyond debatable that we’ve suffered more under the economic downturn than almost anyone else. Our foreclosure rate is through the roof, “record high unemployment” is starting to become a staple phrase of any and all local TV, and our health care system is little more than an unfunny joke to millions of struggling Michigan families.
And that’s why this groundbreaking budget could not come at a better time for us. More now than ever, Michigan needs the helping hand – the life preserver, if you will – that it can find in President Obama’s budget.
However, in order for this proposal to transition from paper to reality, several things need to happen, but one in particular takes the form of Senator Debbie Stabenow. It goes without saying that Sen. Stabenow has been a longtime advocate of the president’s. She is also an esteemed member of the Senate Budget Committee, and ergo holds the ability to move Obama’s budget along to fruition.
So, there you have it. In order for Michigan to start reaping the sows of this historic proposal, we need one of our best voices in Washington to speak up and take action. You can do as much today – urge Sen. Stabenow to speak out, that is – by going to http://progressmichigan.org/obamabudget.
Time, as usual, is of the essence. Speak out today, and tell Sen. Stabenow to support Obama’s budget through the Senate Budget Committee! The hardworking people of Michigan are counting on you.
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Fri Mar 13, 2009 at 06:43:56 AM EDT
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Time to get real on transparency: make contractors report on job creation by: Austin Guest, Thu Mar 12, 2009 at 15:21 on OpenLeft
In order to comply with new transparency requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, state governments across the country are scrambling to put up websites that track how they spend recovery dollars. In just the last week, the White House's count of state transparency websites has jumped from ten to twenty-five. Of all these websites, not one lists the number of jobs to be created by private contractors. Without such data, the sites are close to meaningless.
Fortunately, Oregon is leading a push to require contractors to report the number of jobs they create, as well as the hours worked and wages received by their employees. These requirements, created under Oregon HB 2037, would ensure that Oregonians get a website that doesn't just make an empty gesture toward transparency but one that ensures their tax money actually goes toward creating quality jobs.
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Mon Mar 09, 2009 at 14:48:55 PM EDT
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Michigan has some of the hardest-working residents in the country. Unfortunately, our state has fallen on hard times. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and our state is struggling with the loss of hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs. There are some things we cannot control. Global trade agreements, outsourcing and federal policies have all played a role in getting us where we are. But what we can - and must - do is control some of the local factors influencing Michigan's jobs picture. An example is in the awarding of state contracts and state tax breaks and incentives. When Michigan tax dollars are used to create jobs, Michigan workers should have first priority in getting those jobs. Our tax dollars should benefit our own working families - not out-of-state - workers or illegal immigrants. That is where the Hire Michigan First plan comes in. The Hire Michigan First plan gives companies that hire more workers from Michigan priority in getting state tax breaks and economic development incentives. The more Michigan workers a company hires, the more likely it is to receive a state contract or state tax incentives. Second, the plan requires companies that accept state economic development incentives to report who they are hiring. When the state gives incentives to businesses, we want to see that they are using those incentives to get our workers back on the job. The reporting requirement adds accountability and transparency to this state funding process. Third, Hire Michigan First requires that companies that build state buildings hire 100 percent of their workers from Michigan. Our workers are more than ready and able to do these jobs, and they should have the opportunity to do so. And fourth, the plan cracks down on companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Those companies will have their tax incentives and state contracts cancelled. They will have to pay back any incentives they already received and they will be barred from getting future state contracts. My number one priority in Lansing is creating good-paying jobs for our workers. We must make sure Michigan tax dollars go into our workers' paychecks, not to workers from other states and countries. And by supporting our workers, we will strengthen our economy and get Michigan back on track.
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Tue Dec 23, 2008 at 10:48:17 AM EST
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It may be shortly before Christmas, but it's not too early to start thinking about 2009. As is common when looking to the future, people create resolutions- New Year's Resolutions, to pick one or a couple of things that they want to improve. These resolutions are much maligned in popular culture as being promises that are never fully implemented (who can forget the famous 'loose weight' line?). But sometimes, when the right people set the right goals with the right amount of determination, a New Year's Resolution can be a true impetus for change.
Our leaders in Lansing are already on vacation. I wonder how many of them are thinking on 2009 and their New Year's Resolutions as they sit down to Christmas dinner. What form will these resolutions take? Will we see our leaders resolve to work together to address the pressing issues we have in Michigan, such as smoking regulation, individual market health insurance reform, auto insurance reform (lest we forget the Kreiner Report), expanding public transit, tourism, and high-tech green industries and research, et all? Or will they look back on 2008 and be proud of their 'accomplishments': delaying the passage of a RPS, failing to incentivize economic development, and removing Michigan's national political influence through a botched primary- and resolve to 'keep up the good work'?
With the crisis our state and nation faces going into 2009, one would hope the need for change would be apparent. Let's hope that legislators resolve to change more than their girth come January 1st.
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Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 18:49:23 PM EDT
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(This is one of the many reasons I blog - to share and read personal stories about how the (in)actions of those in DC and Lansing affect ordinary people. - promoted by ScottyUrb)
For the record, I was against the bailout. I wrote a handful of emails to my Representative, John Dingell and both Senator Stabenow and Senator Levin. I made phone calls begging for them to vote against the bailout. I was convinced that sending almost a trillion dollars to some of the very people that got us into this mess was a very bad idea. I firmly believe then, and still do now that the only real way to help Wall Street is to conduct criminal investigations and do something to kick them of the bad habits they got adicted to (like trading and inflating the price of the complex economic devices that got us in this jam). I wrote to the Obama campaign asking that he not vote for the bailout. In the end, as we all know, my efforts were futile and the bailout passed.
I'd like to think that I know a little about hard economic times. I was born in Louisiana in the early 1980s where my father worked as a helicopter mechanic for PHI. In 1985 we moved to Michigan when the oil company ran into hard times and my father was forced to look elsewhere for work. He came to work for General Motors as a mechanic for their corporate helicopter and airplanes at Metro Airport.
For the first few years, we rented as we had difficulty selling our house down in Louisiana. With the economy is turmoil, it was nearly impossible to find a buyer for the decently-sized house of which we were the original owners. In the end, we sold the house back to the bank and lost about $30,000 on the deal.
In my childhood here in Michigan I grew up in a typical middle-class household. In addition to my father's work at GM, we had some income from my mother who worked as a preschool administrator and a Head Start director in a poor school district, before finally finding the job she's held for over a decade as a second grade teacher. We weren't rich, but there was always food on the table. I would later come to realize how hard my parents worked, and how much they sacrificed so that my little sister and I always had what we needed. We might have had hand-me-down clothes from cousins and I might have had a job since I was 14 to help offset bills and expenses, but I never knew the fear of losing our home.
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Wed Sep 17, 2008 at 14:14:37 PM EDT
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ABOVE: Enjoying a light moment with Mazda Chairman and CEO Hisakazu Imaki while discussing Mazda's new production facility in Flat Rock and the potential for future investment in Michigan
It's great to be back in Japan. It was a hot one today - temperatures in the mid-80s with lots of humidity. Unfortunately this may be our only sunny day...rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week. News of Typhoon Sinlaku reminded me of our 2005 investment mission when we were here on the heels of another a typhoon! I hear we are missing some great fall weather back home.
This morning came early after a long day of travel from Detroit to Tokyo. We arrived at our hotel last night and following a cup of java and a quick breakfast briefing this morning, we were off to company meetings where we emphasized that our top-notch workforce and a host of new tools in our economic development toolbox make Michigan the perfect place for global companies to invest.
(more about the day and photos below the fold)
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 at 09:09:54 AM EDT
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Barack Obama is under attack again, this time from both the McCain and Clinton campaigns: Obama Under Fire After Fund raiser Remarks As one of many people who live in small town America and who has lost a job in recent years(not to mention half of my previous income) I completely agree with Obama. In fact I think he nailed it. Many in the middle, and lower rungs of the socioeconomic class are mad as hell and they are looking for someone or something to blame. While McCain is saying Obama is out of touch with working people I'm thinking it may be just the opposite. And Hillary Clinton says that working people are "optimistic"? Who is she talking about? People that I work with are not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. It will be interesting to see how the voters of Pennsylvania interpret His comments.
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Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 13:52:12 PM EDT
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(Drink up! - promoted by ScottyUrb)
This afternoon the Michigan House of Representatives voted to pass House Bill 5925, which will create a license for small-scale distilleries in Michigan. I introduced this bipartisan legislation and am glad to see this job creation plan pass the House of Representatives.
As State Representative, my first priority is to help diversify Michigan's economy and create jobs. Right now there are people waiting to start distilling artisan spirits in Michigan, but they face high fees and barriers to entry. This bill will help create jobs now.
This bill will reduce those barriers by allowing small distilleries to "test market" and sell their products right on their premises, helping to popularize their product in the marketplace. This will create economic activity and more jobs for everyone in the process, from the distiller to the farmer who grows the crops and all of the truck drivers and construction workers in between.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has estimated that giving small distilleries the same opportunity for growth could help create 1,400 new jobs and over $400 million in new economic activity. These distillers will use Michigan-based crops and hire Michigan workers, providing a boost to our vibrant agricultural economy. Michigan is second to only California in the amount of specialty crops grown in the country, providing an exciting and diverse agricultural base for this industry.
This will also be a major draw for our growing agri-tourism industry, drawing people to Michigan's hotels and restaurants. In fact, over 800,000 people already travel to Michigan to visit Michigan's wineries, helping to support over 5,000 full-time jobs in the wine and grape industry. There are currently over 70 small brewers in Michigan, and microbreweries are a $25 million industry in the state.
Our state needs more bold and bipartisan job creation plans. We need to stop the partisan bickering in Lansing and work to create more jobs, now! I have been proud to stand with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to pass this important legislation.
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Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 10:15:18 AM EDT
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(! - promoted by Eric B.)
Today's Washington Post has an op-ed by Harold Meyerson on the impact of free trade on American workers. It's thoughtful and well-argued -- worth a read & also worth noting in your next argument with so-called free trade advocates (a/k/a job exporters). Here's a snippet: What's been missing in America's trade policy is a preference for Americans. The object of trade in China is to help the Chinese nation. German trade is designed to help Germany; Scandinavian, to help the Scandinavian nations. This is not the case here. General Electric goes abroad to lower costs and boost profits. Goldman Sachs invests abroad in the same kind of low-wage, high-profit enterprises. That's the mission of such businesses. But the U.S. government has never taken on the mission of defending the American economy, or the American people, in the global economy. That is not the only reason the broadly shared prosperity of the three decades following World War II is now a distant memory, but it is a certainly a major reason.
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