GOOD-PAYING JOBS: No Worker Left Behind
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: Michigan Nursing Corps
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: An Intermodal Hub
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: Hire Michigan First
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: The Aerospace Industry
Dear Friend,
As your state representative, my top priority is bringing more good-paying jobs to Genesee County and making sure that our workers have the training they need to compete for these jobs. There is a gap between the types of jobs available in today’s economy and the skills that many of our workers have. Closing that gap is the fastest, most effective way to help our working families.
To do that, we must invest in our workers. As chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development, I am in a unique position to get the job done.
Through bipartisan efforts with my colleagues in the both the House and Senate, I helped clear the path for a plan to invest millions of dollars in worker training. This funding will pay to retrain thousands of workers so they can fill the good-paying jobs that are open right now.
In this newsletter I’ve detailed these plans as well as other positive developments for our Genesee workers. I’ve also included information about Hire Michigan First, an important and aggressive job-creation plan.
In the coming months I will keep working hard to help our workers get back on the job and back on their feet. I will also work to make the job training delivery system in Genesee County faster, fairer and more effective.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you or your family. I also welcome hearing your thoughts, concerns, ideas or questions. I am here to serve you and work on your behalf.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Hammel
State Representative
48th District
For years, Michigan’s economy and quality of life were the envy of the world – largely due to our homegrown auto industry that provided generations of Michigan families with good-paying jobs.
Now, the domestic OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) need our help more than ever. The industry has seen drastic changes in recent years and we know that there are more changes to come, but one thing is for sure: We take pride in the fact that Michigan put the world on wheels.
When we BUY MICHIGAN FIRST, we help support the companies that create jobs and support our communities. It is a small, but important, way that we all can help Michigan’s economy. Before you purchase a vehicle, for example, ask whether it was manufactured here in Michigan. Visit www.BuyMichFirst.com for more information.
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: No Worker Left Behind
No Worker Left Behind is a retraining program to help Michigan workers who are unemployed or underemployed. Many of these workers have lost their jobs due to outsourcing or layoffs. Through NWLB, eligible Michigan workers can attend a community college or university for two years tuition-free to upgrade their skills so they can immediately land good-paying jobs available in high-demand fields.
The governor started NWLB last year using $37 million in federal funding. Although the program is serving about 18,000 workers, at least 11,000 workers around the state are currently on waiting lists for this retraining opportunity.
Our working families are struggling, and they cannot afford to wait. That’s why I made it my top priority to get bipartisan approval to almost double the amount of money we invest in the No Worker Left Behind program.
My Subcommittee on Economic Development gave the green light to investing $40 million from the state in NWLB in the 2009 budget, in addition to the federal funding. The House passed this plan, and it was sent to the Senate.
This $40 million comes from the refinancing of state bond debt – not from new taxpayer dollars.
We have to move quickly on these retraining programs to help get our Genesee workers back on the job and also support the growth of our businesses.
Who Can Participate in NWLB?
- Anyone who is currently unemployed, or
- Anyone who has received a notice of termination or layoff from employment, or
- Any employed person with a family income of $40,000 or less.
- Participants must be at least 18 years old, must not have graduated from high school in the past 2 years, and must not be a full-time college student.
- Participants will receive up to two years of free tuition at any Michigan community college, university or other approved training program.
- Participants must complete a skills assessment administered by the Michigan Works Agencies (MWAs).
For more on information on the No Worker Left Behind program, please call (800) 285-WORKS (9675) or visit www.michigan.gov/nwlb.
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: Michigan Nursing Corps
Another area of opportunity for our workers is in the nursing field, which is why I worked hard to get bipartisan approval for a $10 million investment in the Michigan Nursing Corps program. Many good-paying nursing jobs are available now, and the nursing shortage is expected to worsen quickly, to a shortage of 7,000 registered nurses by 2010 and 18,000 by 2015.
However, Michigan colleges do not have the capacity to accept all the Michigan residents who want to sign up to become qualified for these jobs. The Michigan Nursing Corps provides financial support for nursing students who agree to become instructors at Michigan colleges after they graduate.
This program is the fastest way to solve this problem and move our workers in to good-paying jobs that are available now. This plan passed the House and was sent to the Senate.
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: An Intermodal Hub
The former Buick City property in Flint is on its way to being redeveloped as a busy new center of economic activity that will be the biggest redevelopment our area has seen in a long time. This project is expected to create about 400 new jobs, with the potential for many more.
The property will become what’s known as an intermodal transportation hub – a site that combines multiple shipping modes to improve the ease and speed of transporting goods. At the former Buick City site, materials and supplies will come and go via truck, rail, water and air. This project takes advantage of our unique and prized location at the intersection of I-69, 475 and I-75.
I’ve been working for months with local business leaders, and regional and state economic officials to keep this project moving along. Becoming an intermodal hub will make Flint a key player in the global transportation trade and provide a significant boost to Genesee’s workers and our economic growth.
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: Hire Michigan First
“Hire Michigan First” is a proposed job-creation plan that gives priority for economic development projects to companies that employ 100 percent of its workers from Michigan. The initiative also cracks down on employers who choose to give jobs to illegal immigrants rather than Michigan workers.
When companies take advantage of tax breaks or state economic development programs, Michigan workers deserve first crack at those jobs.
Michigan tax dollars should not fund grants or tax incentives for businesses that hire people from other states and countries when Michigan residents have the training and expertise to get those jobs done.
The “Hire Michigan First” plan...
- Gives companies that hire
100 percent Michigan workers priority in the awarding of tax breaks and other economic development tools. - Requires companies that take economic development incentives to report on who they are hiring to ensure that Michigan workers come first.
- Requires businesses with contracts for construction of state buildings to hire 100 percent of their workers from Michigan.
- Cracks down on companies that exploit illegal labor by canceling their state contracts and tax incentives. The plan would require them to pay back incentives already received and bar them from future contracts.
GOOD-PAYING JOBS: The Aerospace Industry
The aerospace industry is growing rapidly, producing a high demand for manufactured parts.  With Genesee County’s already strong manufacturing base, infrastructure and skilled workforce, we provide the ideal location for making aerospace components. By retooling our available manufacturing capacity for this purpose, we can keep our residents working and create more good-paying jobs.
Manufacturers that want to make the transition from autos to airplanes must meet certain standards to become certified in the industry. I obtained bipartisan approval for $250,000 in the state budget to help companies cover the costs involved in retooling their plants and retraining their workers.
Several Genesee County companies have already been identified as potential parts suppliers and are working with local, state and industry officials to make that a reality. I will do everything I can to ensure that as demand for commercial and military aircraft continues to grow, Genesee companies can compete for these contracts and keep these good-paying jobs right here.
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