Jesse Sipe, Michigan State AFL-CIO field communications representative, sends us this report.
While people around the world have been fighting for freedom and democracy, the Michigan legislature has recently taken a step in the opposite direction. The Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation that will greatly extend the powers of emergency financial managers (EFMs). This bill essentially will take away our voting power by allowing EFMs to remove locally elected officials without seeking authority or approval from any elected body or from the people.
This bill is not just an attack on workers—it is an attack on democracy itself.
The Senate is expected to readily follow suit, as Republican lawmakers find this bill necessary to cut costs and pull Michigan out of this crippling budget deficit. If this legislation is passed, it will create a system with no checks and balances on the power that emergency financial managers will wield. The constitutionality of this bill is heavily questioned due to this fact.
