On January 17th, 2012, the Union received the contractually required 30 day notice from the Department of Corrections advising of plans for indefinite layoffs beginning no earlier than February 17th, 2012. We also learned the Department, for the first time ever, made wide distribution of this document intended for the President of Local 6000 on the same day.

Immediately upon receipt of the notice, the Union requested to meet with the Department regarding this matter and to review, as has been done repeatedly in the past, the accuracy of the intended bumps and layoffs. On January 25th, 2012, the Department indicated it was nearing completion of the bump/layoff calculations and a meeting has been set for January 30th, 2012. As in the past, the Union will not release any of the preliminary information obtained at the January 30th meeting as circumstances often change between the time of the meeting and issuance of the formal individual notices. Those members who will be affected by the Departments' action will receive the contractually required 15 day notice.

Beyond the notice, the Union has no information identifying specific positions, classifications, nor work sites which will be affected by the Department's action. As more information becomes available it will be posted at this site.

In the Governor’s State of the State speech last night he listed four of Michigan’s biggest cities as the most dangerous, with Detroit being one of them. In light of this International UAW Region 1A Director, Rory Gamble, is one of four sponsors of the Annual City-Wide Day of Peace and Healing, Sunday, January 22, 2012. The Day of Peace will begin with a motorcade open to the public to join and will end with a rally at Fellowship Chapel in Detroit. During this time when so many have lost their lives to senseless violence, please join our community and religious leaders in paving the way for safer communities.

For further information, please see the flyer below or visit www.theucoa.org.

State employees will not have to wait until April to get their refund on the 3% that had been taken out of their checks. Governor Synder has stated that the witholding of the 3% will end with the paychecks issue December 22, 2011. The refund of funds in escrow, with interest, will be addressed in the January 19, 2012 paychecks.

State employee unions and some legislatures had urged the funds be returned before the end of the year but this will not be the case. Click here for a list of frequently asked questions regarding the HCC. Additional news will be provided as it comes in.

Today the Michigan Civil Service Commission approved all five agreements ratified recently by members of the labor organizations that comprise the Coalition of State Employee Unions. Leaders of the five unions – UAW, SEIU 517M, Michigan Corrections Officers, Michigan State Employees Association, and AFSCME Council 25 – were present at the meeting and welcomed the official conclusion to the collective bargaining process.

“The Coalition commends the Governor for recognizing that when labor and management collaborate, we can work together toward creating smarter, more efficient government that benefits the workers and provides better services for Michigan citizens,” said International Union, UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, who led the historic, first-time Coalition negotiations with the state. “Michigan is leading the way in showing that labor-management relations can work.”

The five collective bargaining agreements cover 35,000 state employees. Non-economic terms of the contracts begin on January 1, 2012; economic terms of the contracts begin on October 1, 2012.

MetLife the current Long Term Care (LTC) provider stopped issuing new LTC policies in April 2011. In June 2011 MetLife notified current policyholders that they could choose an optional inflation increase, in the letter they indicated that they requested a 45% rate increase. It is expected to be approved as it has in multiple other states.

The State of Michigan (SOM) and Employee Benefits Division (EBD) approached Gallagher Benefits Services to identify a new LTC provider; there were several carrier bids and evaluations. The SOM chose PRUDENTIAL, effective February 1, 2012. Premiums for the new carrier Prudential will be 5.7% higher than the MetLife premiums (after the 45% increase). Prudential has guaranteed that the premiums will not increase through January 31, 2019.

In case you missed it, last week a Tea Party-backed Grand Traverse County Commissioner helped pass a resolution urging Gov. Snyder and local lawmakers to support so-called "Right-to-Work" legislation. The fact is there is no such thing as "forced unionism," and Right-to-Work states have sharply decreased wages, poorer working conditions, and less equality in the workplace. Accredited research has been done on Right-to-Work for decades, yet still corporate special interest groups like the right-wing Heritage Foundation and Mackinac Center continue to put out slanted polls and reports to advance their anti-worker agenda.

The group 'Michigan Freedom to Work' has been holding meetings and press conferences across the state with former failed GOP candidates, claiming to be a "grassroots movement" in support of Right-to-Work. In these times of financial crisis in Michigan, pushing for this anti-union legislation will do nothing to help get our economy back on track. Right-to-Work is simply a well-known union-busting tactic, denying employees the freedom to negotiate with their employers.

Today, we are urging you to contact your legislators and urge them to NOT support this divisive Right-to-Work issue while more important issues are at hand. Thousands of Michiganders are still struggling to simply support their family and keep a roof over their head, and do not deserve to see their wages get slashed even further. If there is any pro-Right-to-Work activity happening in your area, please let us know so we can fight to protect Michigan workers.

In Solidarity

Michigan AFL-CIO