As many of you may know, I have been involved in trying to help bring Michigan into the 21st century by advocating Right-to-Work policies, and/or getting government out of business altogether. In our corner of the state, even drafting and passing a resolution by the Grand Traverse County board of commissioners in support of Michigan Freedom to work. This resolution has been the template for a number of counties who followed our lead, in the hopes of encouraging lawmakers to bring right to work to Michigan.
This morning, I received this from the Michigan Freedom To Work Committee:
The MIRS Weekly Report - "Senate Majority Leader Randy RICHARDVILLE (R-Monroe) told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't believe there are enough votes in the GOP caucus for Right to Work (RTW) legislation." Regarding his personal position on Right to Work, "The Majority Leader said that he would be a "no" vote on RTW."
MIRS also reports, Michigan's unemployment rate this year is projected to be 9.4 percent and won't average below 9 percent until 2014... University of Michigan (U-M) economist George FULTON noted that the jobless rate remains "stubbornly high." Unemployment was at 12.5 percent in 2010 and fell to 10.5 percent in 2011. It's forecasted to be 9.2 percent in 2013 and 8.7 percent in 2014. http://www.michamber.com/mirs-weekly-report-0#RTW
"From this I can only gather that Majority Leader Richardville is content with an economy that is staggering at best," said UAW member and MI-Freedom to Work Chairman, Terry Bowman. "Is he satisfied with an unemployment rate of 10%?
"If Richardville is opposed to Right to Work he is in direct opposition to the wishes of 70% of Michigan voters including many in his own district. As a Monroe native, I know firsthand that there is much support for Right to Work in his district. "
"If Richardville is opposed to Right to Work, he is apparently content to see Michigan, particularly the southwest part of the state, slide into further economic collapse, while Indiana moves ahead." Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana is ready to sign a Right to Work bill. As he said in a recent TV spot, "We can't afford to keep missing out on good jobs just for lack of this simple freedom. In this lousy national economy Indiana needs every edge it can get." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMfyIEwG-kM&feature=youtu.be
"If Richardville is opposed to Right to Work, he is ignoring the clear evidence that Michigan is missing out on huge opportunities for new high-paid manufacturing jobs," Bowman went on to say. As reported in an "mlive" article in 2010, "Those who favor right-to-work say Michigan is losing out on jobs without it. David Cole, chair of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, has no doubt Michigan is suffering for lack of such a law. The state has missed out on an estimated $10 billion in corporate investment because it's not a right-to-work state, he said. He worked with the state when the German auto company Volkswagen was considering Michigan for a new assembly plant.
"Our group actually provided the state with a lot of data on the industry", Cole said. "...But the lack of right-to-work was a killer." Volkswagen had its eye on a site in Battle Creek-Kalamazoo, he said. Michigan's tough union image did not help.
"Senator Richardville is out of step with his fellow Republicans." In 2010, the Michigan House Republican Strategic Task Force on Jobs stated, "Michigan should seriously consider passage of a Right to Work law...Studies suggest that states with Right to Work laws have the fastest growing economies along with a high standard of living for their workers. This action would make Michigan the first state in the Great Lakes region with a Right to Work law, providing a distinct competitive advantage over neighboring states."
"It is time for Leader Richardville to join with his party, his constituents, and the majority of his caucus in the Senate and in the House and support a Labor Freedom bill. His leadership is needed at this critical time in Michigan's history," Bowman said.
Terry Bowman is a 15-year UAW member and Chief spokesman for the MI-Freedom to Work Coalition.
As much as it seems like Richardville is unmovable, it behooves us to make his political existence as miserable as possible while he behaves like a full blown liberal Democrat. There are almost enough votes for a vote of no confidence, so a letter to your state Senator encouraging Richardville's removal might hurry things along. At the very least it will apply the pressure as needed to pop this zit.
Or you can attempt to contact his office as suggested by the MIFTW committee:
"Send an urgent email to Leader Richardville today"
