Michigan governments would save $5.7 billion if the employment benefits of Michigan’s state and local government workers were set at private sector averages.
State and local governments currently employ roughly 400,000 full-time workers in Michigan. It may be procedurally difficult to attain all of the $5.7 billion in a single year, but a policy that public-sector employees will not be paid more in benefits than private sector averages will eventually result in these savings.
Here’s what $5.7 billion can buy:
- A year’s clothing budget for every family in Michigan.
- A round of golf for every Michigan resident at both Arcadia Bluffs and Bay Harbor.
- A brand-new 50-inch 3-D plasma screen T.V. for every household in the state.
- A year’s worth of electrical bills for every household in Michigan.
But as a policy matter for legislators:
- Michigan can eliminate the Michigan Business Tax, resolve its budget deficit and still have $2 billion left to spare.
- It can eliminate its personal income tax in its entirety.
In a politician’s terms: every man, woman and child in Michigan could max out on their personal contribution to any state representative of their choosing.
Governor-elect Rick Snyder said he will investigate this disparity, provided that consideration will be given to the affected workers.
Tight security locked out dozens of anti-right-to-work protesters from the State Capitol as Governor Snyder was delivering his "State of the State" address. Protesters tried to disrupt the speech by banging and chanting outside the building.
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FROM MICHIGAN HOME HELP PROGRAM PROVIDERS — OFTEN FAMILY MEMBERS
ATTORNEY GENERAL ORDERED THE STATE TO STOP TAKING MONEY ON MAY 25, 2012
opinion May 25, 2012
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) "organized” Michigan's self-employed Home Help Program providers for the purpose of skimming dues from their ailing and disabled clients' Medicaid subsidy checks. The majority of these providers are relatives or friends taking care of loved ones. It’s been estimated that less than 25 percent of the providers are hired in an employment setting.
The first counter tallies SEIU dues skimmed since the union and state officials first launched this scheme in late 2006. The second shows the amount skimmed since June 9, 2011, when the Michigan House passed and sent to the Senate a bill to ban this and all similar “stealth unionization” efforts. The third counter shows the dues skimmed since the Governor signed the bill into law on April 10, 2012. The fourth counter shows the amount skimmed since May 25, 2012, when the Attorney General opinion was announced.
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