Blog categorized as Organized Labor

Hundreds of firefighters circled two floors of the Capitol rotunda Tuesday afternoon and boomed chants that urged lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow firefighter unions to bargain over staffing levels with their municipalities.

The largest of the three unions that work for the Michigan Education Association (MEA) has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the MEA for failing to bargain in good faith.

Homecare providers compensated through Michigan's Medicaid system could unionize under bills approved by the Senate last month. Also, the legislation creates the "Home Help Caregiver Council," overseeing payroll deductions for union fees.

A Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) bill ending the prohibition on graduate student research assistant (GSRA) unions passed the House Labor Committee this morning, but its Rep. Carrie A. Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) counterpart, which also extended the provision to student athletes, did not move.

Rep. Carrie A. Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) said she plans to keep fighting to include student athletes in collective bargaining with her legislation, after Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) removed the same provision from his version of the legislation to restore unionization rights to student employees.