State of Michigan Archives: on Jobs

Abdul El-Sayed: Raise minimum wage; support unions

Bill Schuette: Supports right-to-work law as a great victory

Bill Schuette (R): Yes. A "great victory." "I was the right-to-work Attorney General."

Gretchen Whitmer (D): No. Repeal right-to-work law.

Bill Schuette: Opposes prevailing wage law

Bill Schuette (R): Unknown. Would exclude workers on small farms. Opposes prevailing wage law & expanded overtime protection.

Gretchen Whitmer (D): Yes. Increase to $15/hour over three years.

Brenda Lawrence: Paid sick leave helps women & minorities most

Some of the disparities are depressingly familiar. Latino workers have significantly lower rates of access to paid sick days than the workforce as a whole: Only 47% of Latinos have paid sick days, compared to 61% of the total workforce.

Brenda Lawrence will enact a progressive agenda that will make it clear the need for public policy standards that guarantee all workers can earn the time they need to care for their health and their families without sacrificing their jobs or economic security.

Brenda Lawrence: Fight to raise minimum wage to $10.10 an hour

Minimum wage policies do help raise the wages for America's lowest-paid workers--making an adequate minimum wage an important pillar of a national antipoverty agenda. Brenda Lawrence will fight to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

Debbie Stabenow: President should meet with Big 3 Automakers

STABENOW: We need a president who’s going to sit down with the automakers. This president can’t come up with 30 minutes to sit down with them. We’ve got to get healthcare costs off the back of business. We’ve got to protect pensions, and race like crazy for innovation. We make and grow things in America. That’s what its going to take. We’ve got to fight for those jobs here.

BOUCHARD: She says one thing and does another here. She’s a 18% rating from the Manufacturers Association, I won’t vote to raise taxes, or cut jobs. I’m a small business owner. We need someone who gets it and does results.

Duncan Hunter: Unions built the middle class

HUNTER: A union is a receptacle of power, just like management. But those folks love this country, they love their family, and they helped to build a middle class, which has been important for America and for our party. We need to work with unions to win this presidency.

ROMNEY: There are some good unions and some not so good.

Q: Can you name a few “good” unions?

HUNTER: I can tell you a good union, the Steel Workers Union. When last year we had a strike in a Kansas plant that made the tires for our humvees, I called up the president of the Steelworkers and the president of Goodyear, and within a very short period of time, they were working together, they got that thing done for the good of the country.

Fred Thompson: In a dynamic economy, some jobs lost and some gained

A: Well, in a dynamic economy, there are jobs lost and there are jobs gained. And so far, there have been more jobs gained. To put up barriers and say that so-and-so cannot lose a job would be the wrong thing to do in a free-market economy that's been so well for us. It's made us the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.

Fred Thompson: Don't use union dues for political purposes

A: I don't have to pretend that I'm a union member because I have been a union member some time--the Screen Actors Guild still counts, doesn't it?

Q: Yes, sir.

A: No, I believe in the rights of workers to band together for their own purposes, no question about that. I do not believe a person ought to have to be a member of the union to work. I do not believe that union bosses ought to use union dues for political purposes that their members don't necessarily agree with, and I do not agree with them denying union members a secret ballot. But other than that, I think that they've done a lot of good over the years for this country and will continue to do so.

Gary Peters: Extend jobless benefit for long-term unemployed

For weeks, Democratic US Rep. Gary Peters had already been calling for an extension of benefits that expired Dec. 28.

Then before White House-backed legislation to restore the benefits unexpectedly cleared a hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday, Republican Terri Lynn Land said she supports the bill. Her stance puts her at odds with Republicans in Congress and conservative organizations that say an extension is ineffective and wasteful.

The unemployment bill would restore benefits averaging $256 weekly to an estimated 1.3 million long-term jobless, including 86,000 in Michigan. Peters said on his Facebook page Tuesday that "extending unemployment insurance is an investment with a proven economic return, and it is the right thing to do for Michigan families."

Gretchen Whitmer: Repeal "right-ro-work" law (support union organizing)

Bill Schuette (R): Yes. A "great victory." "I was the right-to-work Attorney General."

Gretchen Whitmer (D): No. Repeal right-to-work law.

Gretchen Whitmer: Increase minimum wage to $15/hour over three years

Bill Schuette (R): Unknown. Would exclude workers on small farms. Opposes prevailing wage law & expanded overtime protection.

Gretchen Whitmer (D): Yes. Increase to $15/hour over three years.

Gretchen Whitmer: Expand right to overtime to tens of thousands of workers

Gretchen Whitmer: Fix the Damn Roads: Michiganders need to get to jobs

To grow our economy and make Michigan a state that businesses move to and can grow in, we must invest in our roads, bridges, water systems, broadband, and electrical grid. Good roads are good for Michigan families and businesses and infrastructure investment is economic development. We can attract the jobs of the future and help businesses grow right here in Michigan.

John James: Incumbent does not do enough to create or protect jobs

"Michigan needs a combat veteran and job creator in the U.S. Senate. I don't have a black message. I don't have a white message," said James, who is African American and who criticized Stabenow for not doing enough to create or protect jobs. "I have a Michigan message.... Washington has enough career politicians."

John James: Opposes raising federal minimum wage to $15/hr

John James (R): Critical of increasing to $15/hr, but unclear if he'd support a smaller increase.

Debbie Stabenow (D): Has supported raising, but no statement on current proposal to raise to $15/hr.

John McCain: Unions are monopolies; don't compel people to join

A: I think the unions have played a very important role in the history of this country to improve the plight and conditions of laboring Americans. I think that like many other monopolies, in some cases they have then serious excesses. I come from a right-to-work state. If someone wants to join a union in my state, they're free to do so, but they are not compelled to do so. I think the key to unions is that any American has the right and privilege to join a union but should never be forced to do so. And this latest ploy of the Democrats of signing people up in the most willy-nilly fashion is something that needs to be rejected, because it will not protect the rights of workers who do not wish to join a union.

Marcia Squier: Minimum wage of $15 per hour, including Congress

Marcia Squier: I definitely believe that income inequality is a problem in America. I would introduce and/or support legislation that would help bring back the middle class, and lift up the lower class as well, by reducing the stranglehold that the top 10% have on our currency flow. For example, I support a $15/hr minimum wage (including myself in Congress, if elected). I would offer incentives to companies with net gains in employment and subsidies to small businesses. This will reduce the amount spent on low-income assistance programs.

Marcia Squier: Stop stiffing tipped worker wages!

Marcia Squier: Grow jobs in health, renewable energy, and infrastructure

Mark Schauer: Opposes right-to-work law; protested on Capitol lawn

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer has signaled he will use Snyder's signing of the right-to-work law and the plight of Detroit pensioners to paint the governor as a friend of big banks and unconcerned about working-class people. Schauer said, "The public has figured out he's just another political figure trying to satisfy his political friends." Schauer was among the labor activists pepper-sprayed by police during a Capitol lawn demonstration as lawmakers were passing the right-to-work bill.

Mike Bishop: 2007: publicly called for right-to-work in Michigan

Mike Bouchard: Big 3 Automakers need tax cuts so no job cuts

STABENOW: We need a president who's going to sit down with the automakers. This president can't come up with 30 minutes to sit down with them. We've got to get healthcare costs off the back of business. We've got to protect pensions, and race like crazy for innovation. We make and grow things in America. That's what its going to take. We've got to fight for those jobs here.

BOUCHARD: She says one thing and does another here. She's a 18% rating from the Manufacturers Association, I won't vote to raise taxes, or cut jobs. I'm a small business owner. We need someone who gets it and does results.

Mike Huckabee: Unions more prominent to fight high CEO salaries

A: The real fact is, unions are going to take a more prominent role in the future for one simple reason: A lot of American workers are finding that their wages continue to get strapped lower and lower while CEO salaries are higher and higher. And the reality is that when you have the average CEO salary 500 times the average worker, and you have the hedge fund manager making 2,200 times that of the average worker, you're going to create a level of discontent that's going to create a huge appetite for unions. So unions are the natural result of workers finally saying, "Look, I can't go from a $70,000-a-year job to a $15,000-a-year job and feed by family of four." That's when unions are going to come back in roaring form.

Mike Parson: Expand programs to link high school graduates with jobs

Mitt Romney: I believe in domestic supports for our agriculture industry

A: I believe in domestic supports for our agriculture industry. I don't want to see our food supply be in the same kind of a jeopardy situation that our energy supply is in. And clearly there's a responsibility of government to make sure that our farmers are treated on the same basis as farmers in Europe & other markets that we compete with. The WTO talks [may] find a way to bring down subsidies around the world, & that'll be good news.

Mitt Romney: Good unions train members; bad unions hurt their company

A: There are some good unions and some not so good. The good ones are those that say, "How can we do a better and better job helping our members have better and better skills."

Q: Can you name a few "good" unions?

A: Yeah, like the Carpenters Union, for instance, does a great job training their members and making them more effective and more efficient, and they get higher compensation as a result of it. There are also bad unions. I'm probably not going to name specific bad unions, but there are bad unions as well, which go too far and who forget that in order for them to be successful, the enterprise that they're involved with has to also be successful.

Rick Snyder: Extend unemployment benefits; plan for future

These benefits are a lifeline for many Michigan families who are struggling. Cutting them off so abruptly would have jeopardized the well-bein of those who are trying hard to find work. Now we must renew our focus on improving Michigan's economic climate. We will continue driving forward with our job-creating reforms so that fewer people need to rely on unemployment benefits.

Rick Snyder: Quietly signed law making Michigan a right-to-work state

When Snyder backed the law making workplace union membership optional after long saying the contentious issue was not on his agenda, it reshaped his persona as an apolitical chief executive focused on fixing the state's problems. But the Republican governor's supporters say the fervor of right-to-work was overblown by Democrats and their union allies who stand to lose the most from a prohibition of compulsory union dues.

The law went into effect on March 28, so it is too early to calculate its effect on statistics for union membership statewide and dues collections by Michigan unions. But it has reinvigorated labor and Democratic opposition to Snyder. The Snyder administration has argued the governor is staying focused on creating an environment for more and better jobs.

Rick Snyder: MAT2: Michigan Advanced Technician Training for skills gap

Continuing the administration's laser focus on creating an environment that encourages job growth and prosperity includes:
• Making Michigan even more welcoming to immigrants with advanced academic degrees or entrepreneurial aspirations, allowing the state to benefit from their countless contributions, including job creation.
• Stepping up efforts to connect job providers and talent.
• Expanding the Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT2) program, an employer-driven initiative that helps employers bridge the "skills gap" through a statewide system for training and educating skilled technicians to fill high-paying jobs.
• Continuing the successful Community Ventures program, a public/private/nonprofit partnership created to hire at least 1,000 structurally unemployed residents from distressed neighborhoods, initially in the cities of Flint, Detroit, Pontiac and Saginaw. First-year goals have been met, resulting in jobs for over 1,400 structurally unemployed residents.

Rick Snyder: People now moving to Michigan for good jobs

To give you a fact you might be amazed by, but we should be really proud, our state has the highest net-bound inward migration of people with bachelor's degrees of any state in the Great Lakes region. We are winning the national and international competition for quality minds, for career opportunities for quality people and we are going to keep it up. Business in Michigan is growing with exciting expansions and new investors. We are growing a more diverse, vibrant and healthier economy.

Ron Paul: Right to organize; but no special benefits for unions

A: The right to unionize should be a basic right of any group. You should be able to organize. You should have no privileges, no special benefits legislated to benefit the unions, but you should never deny any working group to organize and negotiate for the best set of standards of working conditions.

Rudy Giuliani: Vibrant unions good; but compelling membership bad

GIULIANI: Sure, I think unions have made a positive contribution. My grandmother was an early member of the United Ladies Garment Workers Union, and I don't know that our family would have gotten out of poverty without that. But the reality is that there are good unions, and there are bad unions. Our free economy is like that.

McCAIN: I come from a right-to-work state. If someone wants to join a union in my state, they're free to do so, but they are not compelled to do so.

GIULIANI: You know, the UAW reached a very responsible pact the other day. I don't know that you could have gotten a solution like that if you didn't have a vibrant union. But there are ones that aren't good unions, and I think the senator is correct -- people should have a right to either belong to a union or not.

Sam Brownback: Unions do good, but need effective oversight

A: Sure. They've been good for the United States, I think, historically. My mother was a union member. It helped her on health care. There can be abuses, and I think you're seeing some of them taking place. And I think the government has to work aggressively to see that those don't take place and that there is effective oversight, which I don't think you see during a Democrat administration. I think that is good for union members to have that effective oversight.

Terri Lynn Land: Extend jobless benefit for long-term unemployed seeking work

For weeks, Democratic US Rep. Gary Peters had already been calling for an extension of benefits that expired Dec. 28. Then before White House-backed legislation to restore the benefits unexpectedly cleared a hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday, Republican Terri Lynn Land said she supports the bill.

Her stance puts her at odds with Republicans in Congress and conservative organizations that say an extension is ineffective and wasteful. "I support an extension of the federal benefits to those actively seeking gainful employment, but what we really need are pro-growth policies that create jobs so that the victims of the Obama economy can finally regain their independence and dignity with a good-paying job," Land said.

Tom Tancredo: Union conflict is creative, but shouldn't influence policy

A: The creative conflict that occurs between unions and management is usually a good thing. When unions, I think, get off track is when they start to influence public policy, especially with regard to allowing illegal immigration into the country, because they want to fill up their ranks. That's why they can be problematic.

Tudor Dixon: Expose more students to high-demand skilled trades

Leslie Love: Sponsored legislation on pay equity& women in skilled trades

Elissa Slotkin: Bring good-paying, union jobs back to the US

Labor: Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?
• Mike Rogers (R): Mixed. Voted to limit National Labor Relations Board action. Voted to limit federal prevailing wage laws on major construction projects. In 2007, sided with management during a strike at GM. Expressed support for a 2023 UAW strike in Michigan.
• Elissa Slotkin (D): Easier. Voted for the PRO Act, to expand workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain. Bring "critical supply chains and manufacturing" back to the US, to create "good-paying, union jobs."

Elissa Slotkin: Raise the minimum wage gradually to $17/hr

Minimum Wage: Raise federal minimum from $7.25/hr?
• Mike Rogers (R): No recent position found. In 2007 voted against raising the minimum to $7.25 per hour.
• Elissa Slotkin (D): Yes. "If you work 40 hours a week, you should not live in poverty." Raise the minimum gradually to $17 by 2028.

Mike Rogers: Limit actions by National Labor Relations Board

Labor: Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?
• Mike Rogers (R): Mixed. Voted to limit National Labor Relations Board action. Voted to limit federal prevailing wage laws on major construction projects. In 2007, sided with management during a strike at GM. Expressed support for a 2023 UAW strike in Michigan.
• Elissa Slotkin (D): Easier. Voted for the PRO Act, to expand workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain. Bring "critical supply chains and manufacturing" back to the US, to create "good-paying, union jobs."

Mike Rogers: 2007: Opposed raising minimum wage

Minimum Wage: Raise federal minimum from $7.25/hr?
• Mike Rogers (R): No recent position found. In 2007 voted against raising the minimum to $7.25 per hour.
• Elissa Slotkin (D): Yes. "If you work 40 hours a week, you should not live in poverty." Raise the minimum gradually to $17 by 2028.

Gary Peters: Supported legislation aimed at strengthening unions

Aric Nesbitt: Pass work requirements for social welfare benefits

Haley Stevens: We need to protect the right to organize

Joe Tate: The first state in 70 years to repeal right-to-work laws

Mike Cox: Fight to restore our Right to Work law

Mike Duggan: Created more 1700 new jobs through Motor City Match

Tom Leonard: Michigan must restore its right to work law