On March 21 the Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the Michigan Education Association, a union seeking to retain its rule that teachers could only quit their union in the month of August. The result of the denial by the Supreme Court is that a state Court of Appeals ruling last May will stand, allowing teachers to quit their union any time during the year - while still enjoying the benefits of union representation.

The appeals court upheld a decision by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, which said that restricting union resignations to a one-month window is in conflict with the Legislature's goal of giving employees more choices under the state's right to work law. 

MEA spokesperson Doug Pratt told the news service MIRS that the teachers' union disagreed with the MERC ruling, the Court of Appeals ruling and now the Supreme Court ruling, but will continue to abide by it. 


Stop falls. Save lives, MIOSHA says

MIOSHA’s Stop Falls. Save Lives. worker safety awareness campaign continues into its second year, and the state agency said its next focus will be on reducing worker deaths due to falls in the roofing industry. 

While the overall number of MIOSHA-covered worker fatalities declined last year, along with a decline in fatalities due to falls in general, eight were related to roofing activities, double the four fall-related fatalities of roofers in 2016.

“MIOSHA is committed to addressing these fatalities by falls through increased enforcement, proactive outreach and collaboration with Michigan’s employers,” said MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman. 

The Stop Falls. Save Lives. informational outreach campaign aims to raise awareness of fall hazards, and to educate employers and employees that all falls are preventable with continued training, appropriate equipment, and diligent safety awareness in the workplace or job site. While falls have historically been the leading cause of death in the construction industry – both in Michigan and the nation – 2017 marked an increase in fall-related deaths among roofers.

MIOSHA will focus its outreach to roofing contractors and industry by sending letters to these employers to promote awareness of the dangers of roofing operations and the importance of safety training. Stand-down events on fall prevention will be held. MIOSHA field staff will be closely observing residential and commercial roofing activities in the coming year. On-the-spot inspections will be initiated if any serious hazards are observed.

In 2016, of MIOSHA’s covered 43 fatalities, 22 were related to falls, with six fall fatalities of tree trimmers. In 2017, of MIOSHA’s 38 covered fatalities, 15 (39 percent) were related to falls, with two fatalities of tree trimmers and eight fatalities related to roofing activities (53 percent).