Tag Archives: Ron Weiser

How Dick DeVos made Michigan a right-to-work state

By Mark | January 26, 2014

If you haven’t read it yet, Andy Kroll has a great piece on the DeVos family in the most recent issue of Mother Jones. Of particular interest to me was the section detailing how Dick DeVos pretty much single-handedly orchestrated the passage of so-called “right-to-work” legislation last year. Here’s a clip. …For Dick DeVos, the […]

Posted in Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged ALEC, Amway, Andy Kroll, anti-union, Bill McInturff, collective bargaining, corporate money, Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, Dick DeVos, Frank Keating, Greg McNeilly, Harold Simmons, Jennifer Granholm, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Michigan Freedom Fund, Proposition 2, Rick Snyder, right-to-work, Sheldon Adelson, union busting, unions | 25 Comments

Calling what happened during Michigan’s lame duck session “very, very bad,” former State Senator Joe Schwartz blames term limits and the unprecedented influence of corporate money

By Mark | January 22, 2013

As we recently discussed, Michigan Radio, as part of their Issues & Ale series, hosted a panel discussion in Ypsilanti late last week on the subject of Michigan’s newly passed right-to-work legislation. The panel, which included former Republican State Senator Joe Schwartz, Kristin Dziczek, the Director of the Labor & Industry Group at the Center […]

Posted in Media, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged Ave Maria, Ave Maria graduates, Center for Automotive Research, collective bargaining, Community Capital Forum, Corner brewery, corporate takeover of politics, F. Vincent Vernuccio, get the money out of Washington, Gretchen Driskell, Issues & Ale, Jack Lessenberry, Koch brothers, Kristin Dziczek, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, MEDC, Michael Shuman, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan House of Representatives, Michigan Radio, Michigan Senate, Mike Finney, money in politics, partisan politics, Proposition 2, Pure Michigan, right-to-work, tea party, term limits, Tom Monaghan, union busting, unions | 28 Comments

Jack Lessenberry to visit Ypsilanti and answer the question, “What does right-to-work mean for Michigan?”

By Mark | January 14, 2013

Tomorrow evening, at Ypsilanti’s Corner Brewery, celebrated Detroit journalist Jack Lessenberry will be hosting a panel discussion on Michigan’s newly passed anti-union (“right-to-work”) legislation, and how it will likely impact working Michiganders, their employers, and the financial prospects of the state. There’s scant information available online, but a friend who works for Michigan Radio tells […]

Posted in Media, Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Center for Automotive Research, Corner brewery, Daniel Howes, F. Vincent Vernuccio, Jack Lessenberry, Kristin Dziczek, labor history, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Matt Greff, NPR, Proposition 2, Rene Greff, right-to-work, union busting, unions | 29 Comments

Coup d’etat in Michigan… following the money, connecting the dots, and assessing Snyder’s role

By Mark | December 12, 2012

This afternoon, as over 10,000 protesters surrounded the Capitol building in Lansing, Governor Snyder singed into law legislation that would make Michigan the 24th right-to-work state. When asked why it was so urgent that this be done now, during the lame duck session, outside of the accepted procedural process, Snyder essentially blamed the unions, who, […]

Posted in Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged Americans for Prosperity, Cindy Estrada, collective bargaining, corporatocracy, Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, Dick DeVos, Emergency Manager, Flint Sit-Down Strike, Frank Keating, John Engler, Koch brothers, labor history, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Paul Singer, Proposal 2, Proposition 2, Rick Snyder, right-to-work, tea party, UAW, unions, West Michigan Policy Forum | 39 Comments

How’s Rick Snyder going to navigate the frothing sea of mental illness that is the Tea Party?

By Mark | August 24, 2010

I didn’t mention it when it happened, but, a little over a week ago, the Tea Partiers here in Michigan waged a bit of a coup against the Republican party. Following is a clip from Blogging for Michigan: The inmates are taking over the asylum. In a big and incredibly underreported story that some of […]