Public school employees notched a long-deserved victory as the Michigan Supreme Court ruled unanimously in their favor following years of illegal wage deductions by the state after the passage of Public Act 75 in 2010.
From 2010 to 2012, anti-worker politicians required school districts to withhold 3 percent of employees’ wages for future health care benefits that they were not guaranteed to receive.
“After several lower court rulings in favor of working people, and years of appeals and hundreds of thousands of wasted taxpayer dollars for legal fees accrued by Governor (Rick) Snyder and (Attorney General) Bill Schuette, working people can finally feel some justice,” AFSCME Council 25 President Lawrence Roehrig said Wednesday.
Roehrig stated that this victory was in large part to a coalition between AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Michigan Education Association, along with the excellent legal counsel from attorney Robert Fetter of the Miller Cohen general counsel firm.
“Attacks on school employees have been a running theme under Snyder and Schuette, and we’re glad that the Supreme Court has finally said that enough is enough. Today we showed them the power and value of working people joining together to stand up for themselves in a union and we will continue fighting to ensure that the back wages are disbursed immediately,” Roehrig said. “This proves that together we are stronger because AFSCME never quits.”
More information on this issue can be found here and here.
Photo courtesy Michigan Education Association