Capitol Chaos – Tuesday, November 3
SOS Rally – Tuesday, November 10th
Save Our Students, Save Our Schools, Save Our State
Early this morning, Lu had a meeting with Tom White, former Executive Director of the Michigan School Business Organization (MSBO). Mr. White has been hired by MASB, MASA, MAISD, and MSBO to head up the grass roots organization of SOS.
They have planned a rally scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th at the Capitol. The purpose of this rally is to engage parents in a lobbying effort to convince legislators to identify revenues and to pass legislation to fund public schools in Michigan.
MEA will provide behind the scenes support for the rally.
Dillon Health Care Plan – Prescription for Disaster
Hearing on 5345 continues
A hearing is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5th. It is expected that the Michigan Nurses Association will be testifying as well as Mike Duggan of the Detroit Medical Center.
News of the Day
Court to hear arguments on payroll deduction for PAC
This week the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on a case involving the ability of public employee unions to be able to have payroll deduction of PAC contributions.
The MEA case, MEA v. Secretary of State (SC docket No. 137451), will be heard on Thursday morning. The case revolves around whether a school district can collect and administer payroll deductions to the MEA's PAC.
Under bargaining agreements with a number of school districts, the districts set up payroll deduction plans for members to contribute to the PAC. The MEA asked the state for a declaration that doing so did not amount to a contribution under the state's Campaign Finance Act, but the state ruled that in fact the plan was in fact a contribution and prohibited under the act.
The Ingham Circuit Court ruled the state had acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner in making the decision. But a split Court of Appeals panel reversed the trial court, saying the public expenditures of the school district did amount to a contribution.