Labor and Environmental Groups Join Forces to Fight Unnecessary Legislation
Leaving the power to protect the Great Lakes in the hands of the federal government is scary stuff. So scary that citizens and groups across the state are realizing that fighting Senate Bill 272/House Bill 4326 is not only a fight to protect our environment, it is a fight to protect our jobs and way of life too. Grand Rapids saw an example of the joint efforts going on across the state when labor and environmental leaders met on the shores of the Grand River to discuss the bills together on July 26.
*Recall that the bills have already passed both the Senate and the House. Now it up to Michigan citizens to make sure Governor Snyder vetoes the legislation and prevents it from becoming law.
Environmental leaders and activists highlighted the bills’ reduced protections for the Great Lakes and how they undermine the governor’s ability to protect our unique environment.
“This legislation sends a clear message that state politicians don’t think the Great Lakes are worth protecting,” said Mike Berkowitz, Chapter Organizer for the Michigan Sierra Club. “Washington bureaucrats are not better equipped to protect the Great Lakes than the people who live right here in Michigan. This ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t protect ‘Pure Michigan,’ and it won’t create a single job.”
Labor leaders and activists agreed, saying they share the same goal as environmentalists on this issue: make sure SB 272/HB 4376 does not become law.
“State politicians need to get their priorities straight,” said Sue Levy, UAW Region 1D CAP Coordinator. “Instead of stripping important workplace and environmental protections, our elected leaders should focus on rebuilding our economy and creating jobs for working and middle-class families.”
Mark Schauer, National Co-Chair of the BlueGreen Alliance Jobs 21! Campaign and Michigan LCV Board Member, echoed both sides comments saying: “We need to build on Michigan's unique assets – its people and its natural resources – to create the good jobs of the 21st century here."
