G4G Talking points for 09/1

[SharonRB]

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 (67 Days until Victory 2006)

Have A Great Labor Day Weekend!

Fighting For Michigan Workers – And Not Just On Labor Day: Governor Granholm increased Michigan’s minimum wage for the first time in nine years, raising pay from $5.15 per hour to $7.40 over a two year period.


She directed State Departments to “Buy Michigan First,” so that now more than 85 percent of the State’s contracts go to Michigan companies and Michigan workers.


And, Governor Granholm has vetoed Republican legislation that attacked unions and that tried to ban local living wage ordinances.


The Governor extended unemployment insurance benefits for up to an additional 26 weeks for Michigan’s unemployed workers.


Governor Granholm's jobs plan is the most comprehensive and aggressive in the country, and it is creating jobs today and tomorrow. Click here to see the new Jobs Success Stories Map feature on the website…http://www.granholmforgov.com/site/PageServer?pagename=jobs_map


Fighting for The Powerful Few At the Expense of Real People: Dick DeVos laid off nearly 1,400 Michigan workers and he supports organizations that would make Michigan a Right-to-Work state.


And then there’s DeVos’ wife who, as head of the Michigan Republican Party, said that the economic problems in Michigan are the result of high wages.


Through his actions hurting Michigan workers, supporting groups that oppose workers rights and implicitly agreeing with extreme statements attacking Michigan workers, Dick DeVos has made his stance very clear: he sides with the fortunate few over real people.


Headlines from Around the State

The Associated Press: Toyota to add safety research facility to Washtenaw site
Toyota Motor Corp. will add a $37 million safety testing facility to its proposed technical center campus south of Ann Arbor, the company said Thursday. Company spokeswoman Cynthia Mahalak said the safety facility would add 180,000 square feet to the previously announced 350,000-square-foot technical center, bringing the total investment on the 690-acre site to $187 million. Toyota plans to break ground on the site, in Washtenaw County just west of U.S. Highway 23, on Sept. 8… About 400 new jobs will be created at the site by 2010, and 127 people already have been hired, Mahalak said. Toyota already designs safety systems in Ann Arbor, where it now employs 744 people. The new site will serve as a second campus for Toyota's North American engineering, vehicle development and research operations.
Click here to read the full story...http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-37/1157060959242570.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

Battle Creek Enquirer: Air base is 'go' for new mission
On Thursday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz announced a new mission for the base, which has been in varied states of jeopardy for more than a year. The mission calls for joint cargo aircraft to be stationed here, taking the place of the base's A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft and preserving all jobs… In June, Granholm met with Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, for a tour of the base. A few weeks later, Schwarz, R-Battle Creek, and Michigan Sen. Carl Levin sat down with Blum to discuss options for a new mission. The push seemingly helped lock in the cargo planes. "It's the news we've been waiting for, and I'd say again that our strategy of inviting General Blum to come to Battle Creek and see what we had ... paid off," Schwarz said. "He saw it, and he went back and he made this recommendation, which is the recommendation we needed."
Click here to read the full story...http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060901/NEWS01/609010308/1002

[UrbScotty]

1. Thanks for posting these, Sharon!

It's always nice to be reminded that we have a governor who really does care about US.

Too bad about Schwarz losing the primary.

[SharonRB]

2. You're very welcome.

I think it's important that everyone see these and I don't know who gets the e-mails.