To achieve true growth, Michiganders need more stability and thriving communities
LANSING – Advocates for a group of state Chambers of Commerce and lobbyists for manufacturers have announced the formation of an effort to thwart popular, much-needed reforms. Called Great Lakes Growth, the group claims that four policies under consideration in the state legislature – which are intended to strengthen Michigan’s workforce, provide respite to overburdened working families, and spur prosperity – will threaten Michigan’s economic health.
The policies the group objects to are 15 weeks of paid family or medical leave, which was egregiously described as “summer camp for adults” in a recent House Republican memo; clean energy adoption; repealing bans on local labor agreements; and changes to the state’s definition of independent contractors.
“This is unfortunately an entirely predictable development,” said Fund MI Future Executive Director MoReno Taylor II. “It seems that every time our elected leaders try to enact policy reforms that would benefit working families, certain elements of the business community get together with their lobbyists in a full court press to stop them. When I had to use medical leave to recover from a severe illness last year, it sure didn’t feel like summer camp. If I would have had to go without a paycheck for those weeks, it would have been catastrophic to my family’s finances.”
Hanna Schulze, a member of the Fund MI Future coalition, also serves as the President of People First Economy, a Michigan-based organization that helps small-business owners build sustainable companies and develop an economy that puts people first. Schulze said the network of businesses represented by the organization feel that significant policy changes are overdue to make paid leave more accessible to the Michigan workforce. Because small businesses employ the majority of Michiganders, they are the first to suffer from workforce instability, turnover, and burnout – a burden that will only shift when policy changes are made to benefit the people that keep our small businesses running.
“I understand that the Chamber is doing what they think is best for their members, but the business owners that People First Economy has built relationships with believe in reforms that will support their teams and families, like paid family leave or local minimum wage policies,” Schulze said. “When employees aren’t weighed down by stress, they are more productive and loyal to the companies they are with. I actually take the opposite position as Great Lakes Growth – rather than slow the process down and insist that these changes will harm Michigan’s economy before they’ve even been enacted, we need to stop wasting time and do what’s right for the people of our state. These bills have also been drafted with considerations for small businesses and how the policies will be implemented within them. We should listen to the small-business owners that are building a better future for everyone and get these reforms done.”
Taylor said that there are reams of data showing that Michigan’s current trajectory is unsustainable. In the words of a recent Citizen’s Research Center report, “Absent policy changes and investments, Michigan’s current path will lead to a shrinking population and continuing declines in the state’s competitiveness and quality of life.”
Taylor noted that Great Lakes Growth told reporters they were looking at economic policy “through the eyes of employers.” He suggested that they try looking through the eyes of the employees who help make their businesses successful.
“This group is defining growth pretty non-holistically; it can’t just be about maximizing profit and shareholder returns,” he added. “Workers are not robots, so growth also means investing in communities and people to create thriving cities that attract employees and employers alike. Mike Johnston at the Michigan Manufacturers Association told MIRS News that stability makes businesses thrive. What’s more stable than families who, for example, aren’t going to go into debt because they have to take time off work to care for a parent with terminal cancer? Why should a person working in a high-cost city like Ann Arbor make the same minimum wage as someone in low-cost rural northern Michigan? These are not radical ideas and businesses shouldn’t feel threatened by policies that make Michiganders stronger and more stable.”
Fund MI Future is a joint effort of grassroots community organizations, labor unions, and policy/research experts working to create shared prosperity for all Michiganders by fully and equitably funding our public services like schools, roads, and clean water.
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