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Under the Dome

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Capitol update for October 16 through December 10, 2010- Proposals to restrict all local public employee pensions, changes to PA 312, a package to provide additional funding to schools in a deficit funding situation (it contained negative school employee reforms) and reforms to Michigan's tenure law all fail. Legislation to allow liquor sales on Sunday, to disburse additional federal educational money, a capitol outlay budget to fund infastructure projects for many of the universities, colleges and the state police, and the pure Michigan advertising campaign all passed. The Dream Act passsed Congress 216/198 and a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" fell three votes short of passage in the US Senate. And more, much, much more. Happy Holidays from the SEIU Michigan State Council!

State Employee Retirement Incentive Legislation

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On September 23rd, the House and Senate passed the state employee retirement incentive legislation. It allows employees eligible to retire under the current formula to retire with a 1.6 enhanced multilplier and employees with 30 years of service or a combination of years plus age equal to or greater than 80 years to retire with a 1.55 multiplier. It also mandates that ALL state employees pay 3% into an IRS 115 trust fund to pay for state retiree healthcare for three years starting November 1, 2010.

School Retirement Legislation

Lobby Day 3

Early Friday morning the Senate and House passed a retirement package for school employees that has very little incentive, will cost school employees 3%, has no contractual right to retirment health care benefits (this was actually stripped out) and does absolutely nothing to shore up the pension system.

DOL- Wage and Hour

The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor issued an adminstrative interpretation clarifying the definition of children under the FMLA to include domestic partners.

Medicare & Medicaid Service

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed new rules for hospitals that would protect patients’ rights to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, including visitors who are same-sex domestic partners.

UNDER THE DOME

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Capitol Update for September 8th through October 15th, 2010- The state employee retirement incentive legislation signed into law, suta dumping light passes the Senate and the budget deal and all of the budgets are signed into law. An Administrative Law Judge rules that the Granholm administration committed an unfair labor practice when it took the 3% raise away from the un-organized state employees and a federal District Court upholds the federal health care reform legislation.

UNDER THE DOME

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Capitol Update for June 25th through September 7th, 2010-Home care worker codification legislation passes the House; the House and Senate passed and the Governor signed next year's K-12 budget; Governor Granholm and legisltive leaders reach a budget deal to resolve this year's and next year's shortfall, which contains 3% across the board cuts to all departments; the federal government passes the jobs bill, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Bill and the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistanct Act. Michigan's Supreme Court has a new Judge, Alton Davis; the MI Supreme Court also ruled that credit scoring is legal and reversed the Kreiner decision.

Under the Dome

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Capitol Update for June 1 through June 24, 2010- The MEA files suit over the the school employee retirement bill, the attorney general issues an opinion requiring school districts to allow non-instructional employees to bid on non-instructional services or open it up collective bargaining. FMLA children and Medicare and Medicaid rules clarified to allow for domestic partners and the Jobs bill fails in the Senate.

Michigan Unemployment Insurance Project

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Do you know someone who is having trouble collecting their unemployment benefits, have them contact the Michigan Unemployment Insuance Project at (734) 274-4331.

SEIU Local 517M Third Annual Lobby Day

Lobby Day 2

If you were unable to make SEIU Local 517m's lobby day this year, you may still take action on these critical issues impacting working families.

Public Employee Healthcare Pooling Plan

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The latest version of this state‐government run health plan imposes new taxes on l ocal governments, creates new layers of bureaucracy, boards and committees and gives 240 new powers and responsibilities to state government.

Protect Michigan's Air Quality

Take action and make your voice heard to protect our state’s air quality, economic development and the jobs of the employees working in the Renewable Operating Permit program. Take action here.

Support the Employee Free Choice Act

Lobby Day 3

Some 57 million U.S. workers say they would join a union if they could. But when workers try to gain a union voice on the job, employers respond with intimidation, harassment and retaliation. And our labor laws have become too weak to stop them. The Employee Free Choice Act would ensure that when a majority of employees in a workplace decide to form a union, they can do so without the obstacles employers use to block their right to have a voice at work.

Please send a message to Congress and the Senate urging them to support the Employee Free Choice Act.

Dillon's Health Care Plan

Public Policy Associates did a critical Analysis of Dillon's Health Care Plan, please find a summary of their findings on this dangerous proposal.

Center for Disease Control

The Center for Disease Control has issued some recommendations to keep you healthy at the workplace with the threat of the H1N1 flu virus.

Hold Politicians Accountable

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> See how your members of congress are voting
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