Detroit Free Press: Fight for $15 group, union push to elect pro-labor Democrats in Michigan
A recently announced effort by a powerful union and the Fight for $15 organization to get pro-labor Democrats elected in 2018’s gubernatorial elections, is targeting Michigan as a critical battleground.
The Service Employees International Union, one of the biggest and most affluent unions in the country, and Fight for $15 have launcheda $100 million effort to increase voter engagement and support gubernatorial candidates that believe in fair wages and worker’s rights.
The campaign, which involves a massive “get out the vote” component, is specifically focusing on Rust Belt, midwestern states like Michigan, where assaults on labor — via right-to-work campaigns and unbudging minimum wages — have been significant.
“I grew up in Michigan. I saw how working people used the power of their unions to fight for good jobs that lifted entire families up. Unfortunately, fewer people now have the opportunity to join together in unions. Instead of fighting for strong unions, politicians are gutting them,” said Mary Kay Henry, President of the SEIU. “We need to elect leaders who will help working people join together to turn jobs doing service and care work into jobs you can sustain a family on.”
The Detroit News: Feds OK gas pipeline project from Ohio to Mich.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved construction of a high-pressure pipeline that will carry natural gas from the shale fields of Appalachia, across northern Ohio and into Michigan and Canada, a decision likely to be the death blow to project opponents concerned about safety and property rights.
The planned $2 billion NEXUS Gas Transmission project is a partnership between Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge and Detroit-based DTE Energy. The 255-mile-long pipeline will be capable of carrying 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day, enough to meet the needs of about 15,000 homes for a year.
The commission Friday issued a certificate of public necessity and convenience, the project’s last major regulatory hurdle.
Despite the opposition, there wasn’t much chance the project wouldn’t be approved as long as the NEXUS partnership was willing to pay for it. The Natural Gas Act of 1938 gives private companies wide latitude to build pipelines in the U.S., and FERC has no known history of disapproving projects like NEXUS.
Grand Rapids Business Journal: Muskegon ‘turns corner’ with $1B in development
Major new developments are underway along the Muskegon Lakeshore.
Over $1 billion is being invested in public spaces, new buildings and renovation projects. Several projects already have been completed, but many more are in development.
“A lot of people are saying 2017 has been the year that Muskegon has turned the corner,” said Cindy Larsen, Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce president. “We’re not done by any means, but you can actually see the difference.”
All projects are part of the Watch Muskegon campaign, a countywide, privately funded community improvement plan. The plan was launched by a number of local businesses and individual Muskegon County residents. Organizations that have donated to the cause include ArtVan Furniture, Fifth Third Bank, Lakeshore Art Festival, Mercy Health, Lakeshore Museum Center and Muskegon Community College.
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