A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Richard Baird, Gov. Snyder’s top confidant and “Transformational Manager”, had threatened to sue both Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan AFL-CIO President Karla Swift. Baird, who has a history of bullying, is now demanding a retraction of an op-ed penned by Swift and published in a number of Gannet newspapers across […]

In June of last year, I was contacted by someone who works for the state government who told me a few things about Richard Baird, the man who shared office space and a phone number with Gov. Rick Snyder but, at the time, was paid off the books by the so-called NERD fund which was funded by secret financial contributors. […]

The fight to preserve workers’ rights is FAR from over. Get informed.

One of the premier Democratic Party clubs in the state is the Western Washtenaw Dems, a club I’m proud to be a member of. Started in 1999 by former House Speaker Pro Tempore Pam Byrnes, the group is both a social club for Democrats on the western side of Washtenaw County as well as an active political force in our county. They regularly sponsor important and timely speakers, panels and forums and this Thursday is one that area Democrats won’t want to miss. It features Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan AFL-CIO president Karla Swift, Michigan AFT president David Hecker along with moderator Ron Motsinger from the IBEW.

Details and a downloadable flyer after the jump.

And the winner is… the anti-Labor conservatives

NOTE: This is an abbreviated version of a post I published at the AFL-CIO NOW blog. Click HERE to read the whole piece.

For months and months, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has been playing Switzerland on the topic of “Right to Work For Less” (RTWFL) — the Orwellian-named anti-labor union drive — saying “It’s not on my agenda” but never promising to veto RTWFL legislation. He literally used that exact phrase every single time he was asked about it right up until this past week.

Today, all of that changed. After a meeting with top Republican leaders from the state House and Senate, it’s now “on the table”.

Welcome! We saved you a seat!

After sitting on the sidelines for over a year in the battle to repeal Public Act 4 — Michigan’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager Law — the Michigan AFL-CIO labor union has now entered the fray. They are participating in a rally at the Michigan Court of Appeals next Wednesday.

Details after the jump.

Environmentalists & unions – not-so-strange bedfellows Last week in Lansing, Michigan, leaders from labor and environmental groups around the country gathered to show a united front in their opposition to efforts by Republicans in Congress to weaken environmental protections. As John Walke at the National Resources Defense Council wrote about last fall, the drumbeats are incessant: The week of October […]

Yesterday at their two-day state convention in Detroit, Michigan AFL-CIO members elected Karla Swift as the organization’s new president. Swift replaces Mark Gaffney who led the group for 12 years. Karla Swift (pictured right with UAW president Bob King in Lansing), is a long-time organizer for the International Union, the UAW and for various community groups. Most recently she was […]