Michigan has been fighting a battle that should never have been fought.  It is nearly over now, and after nearly $30,000,000 has been taken from the pockets of those who could least afford the theft, the Senate leader has relented and allowed the vote, and subsequent passage of SB1018. Because the house version of the bill HB 4003 is so similar, it should be expected to reach the governor's desk nearly immediately.

The scam came as a result of an inter-local agreement arranged by the former governor's office, and the hokey work around in defining employment based on contract labor.  Unions, and their willing accomplices in state government ceded the rights of the independent contractors who provide care services to a previously unknown place as employees of the state.  This allowed for the vote establishing a union to represent the new "employees" and begin withdrawing dues from their contract payments.  Child care workers, and home health workers were all affected if they received payment for their services from the state of Michigan.

Nearly all of them had no idea what was going on until the money was being held back.

In January of 2011, Maura Corrigan, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice, and the newly installed DHS director, rightly declared the child care workers were NOT employees of the state, ending their nightmare, but the Director of the Department of Community Health Olga Dazzo had no such plans.  This required further legislative action to clarify the status of the contractors.