Latest news with #Lunger
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New push to throw out tipped wage in Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The fight over the future of Michigan's minimum wage is back on. One Fair Wage, part of the ballot committee Voters to Stop Pay Cuts, has helped launch a new referendum effort to increase the minimum wage and get rid of the tipped wage for service industry workers. 'Workers and voters are beyond infuriated,' said Saru Jayaraman, the group's co-founder and president. 'What voters have been saying for over a decade is people in Michigan who work deserve to be paid enough to feed their families, to cover the cost of living. That is not the case right now.' Gov. Whitmer signs minimum wage and paid sick leave bills into law The group's original proposal from 2018 was set to become law this February after a Michigan Supreme Court decision. But under heavy pressure from some service industry groups, state lawmakers passed a compromise at the last minute preserving the tipped wage. The minimum wage will still increase $15 by 2027. 'That was a compromise,' said Joshua Lunger, vice president of government affairs for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. 'It was one of those things where everyone was a little angry. But it was good problem-solving given the realities we had.' Voters to Stop Pay Cuts submitted voter referendum language to the Board of State Canvassers in hopes of repealing the legislative compromise, Public Act 1 of 2025. If the board approves the petition language in the next few weeks and advocates collect at least 223,000 signatures, the current law would be suspended until voters decide its future on the November 2026 ballot. If that happens, the original minimum wage changes proposed by One Fair Wage could be put in place instead. 'Stop messing with what voters have been asking for for a decade,' Jayaraman said. Servers cheer Michigan Senate's tipped wage 'compromise' Lunger said restaurants and other businesses are already adjusting to the new law, which requires most employers to offer more sick time to employees. That comes on top of inflationary pressures, he said. 'We're seeing them struggle and this is another layer on that cakek, that's going to be a burden if it goes forward,' Lunger said. 'We thought we fixed it and we've got to take two steps back,' he added. 'It's very frustrating.' As the issue comes up again, Lunger expects business owners to be alarmed. 'Businesses love certainty,' Lunger said. 'Individuals love certainty, and we have a very uncertain environment in Michigan right now.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan proposal to tax the rich, fund schools raises questions with business groups
(Getty Images) A group of Michigan educational and labor organizations launched a ballot initiative to let Michigan voters decide if they want to place higher taxes on wealthy Michiganders to fund public K-12 schools this week and business groups are questioning how beneficial the change would be for the state. Michigan's 4.25% income tax rate has billionaires and teachers paying the same rate, Michigan Education Justice Coalition, one of the education groups behind the ballot initiative to add a 5% income tax hike for individuals with incomes over $500,000 and couples earning over $1 million said Thursday. One of the key questions business groups will be considering when evaluating the proposed additional increases in income tax rates is how any change would impact Michigan's competitiveness as a place to live and do business, Joshua Lunger, vice president of Government Affairs for the Grand Rapids Chamber, told Michigan Advance on Friday. The chamber will be reviewing the ballot initiative before taking any official position on it, but right away, Lunger said a lot of states that are growing have no income tax or are trying to reduce their income tax rates, so it's important to evaluate what the unique impact on Michigan would be. That's what the chamber did when it opposed the 2010 temporary income tax increase for Grand Rapids residents and then supported maintaining the tax increase with the condition that the city funded road repairs, Lunger said. 'It really comes down to, what is it being used for? What's the potential impact? And both positive and negative, are there any other unintended consequences?' Lunger said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Michigan's public school system has historically been underfunded with Michigan State University researchers finding that the state's funding for K-12 schools dropped further than any other state in the two decades before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Michigan students experienced some of the worst learning losses in the country, a 2025 report from EdTrust-Midwest, a Michigan-based, education advocacy nonprofit group, found. The report also noted Michigan ranked among the worst states in the country for funding the educational success of low-income students, who are testing lower in Michigan than national averages on 3rd grade reading tests and 7th grade math tests. Michigan's reading scores for younger students are some of the worst in the country, a pain point with decisionmakers in Lansing when discussing state budgets and spending decisions. But another focus area is Michigan's stagnating population growth and the necessity to entice businesses to come to Michigan and for Michiganders to remain in the state's workforce. In order for Michigan to get on track to grow, the state should be incentivizing economic success, not further taxing it, Jase Bolger, president and CEO of the West Michigan Policy Forum said in a statement in response to the ballot initiative Friday morning. Instead of throwing money at Michigan's educational system that is failing to address the needs of students, Bolger said parents should be provided more information about the status of their child's learning and if they're meeting expectations. 'Way too many kids in Michigan can't read, but it's clear these adults can't do simple math. Today in Michigan, the more you make the more you pay. But worse is that this proposal would drive Michigan further in the wrong direction,' Bolger said. 'While states that are growing are overwhelmingly cutting taxes on work, or don't tax work at all, this would double down on Michigan's lagging policies that have led to the fastest growing unemployment rate in the country.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I realized I'm not alone' – 13th annual Women of Word performance provides catharsis for trauma victims
Words can be powerful, and Monday night some local poets tested just how powerful their words could be. Dozens of community members gathered at Basement Transmissions on West 11th Street for the 13th annual Women of Word performance — An event that seeks to explore mental health and trauma through art. 'Mine started after I escaped. After I was out of my domestic violence situation, I started writing, and I was shoving them under a bed in a box, and my 17-year-old son at the time pulled them out and said, 'Mom, you could be helping people with these,'' said Thasia Anne Lunger, director, producer and performer. Soon after, Lunger got a job telling her story through poetry at SafeNet Erie for eight years. Benedictine Sisters of Erie hold Take Back the Site vigil for victim of attempted robbery Eventually, Women of Word was born — A performance where local poets can tell their own stories of issues from drug abuse to mental illness. 'Someone out there is going through it and thinking they're alone, and that's where I was. I thought, 'I'm the only one stupid enough to be in this situation and not get out of it,' but after I got out and after I started living the world and seeing what happens at SafeNet, I realized I'm not alone,' said Lunger. The stage at Basement Transmissions is usually a place for artists and bands and acting, but Monday night people came to tell their stories and convey important messages. 'I owe it to my larger community, now that I'm safe, to talk about what I went through so that people who are still living in that can maybe latch on to some bit of hope, to help get through their own experience,' said Elyse Palmer, a poet. McDowell students save lives by participating in CBB blood drive Palmer and seven other poets voiced their poetry on the stage, with many delivering their own stories that they wrote themselves. Whether you're dealing with grief, mental illness, addiction or abuse, the cast members said you are not alone. And if you or anyone you know is dealing with something right now, contact one of the many organizations who are willing to help: Veteran's Medical Center: Physical and Mental Health – 814-868-8661 SafeNet Women's Shelter Information: 814-455-1774 Safe Journey Women's Shelter: 814-438-2675 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Safe Harbor Wellness Center: Mental Health: 814-838-3401 Crisis Intervention: 814-456-2014 Women's Care Center: 814-868-4050 Saint Patrick's Haven Men's Shelter: 814-454-7219 City Mission Grace House: Women's Shelter: 814-452-4421 x402 City Mission Samaritan Care: Men's Shelter: 814-452-4421 x239 Crime Victim Center of Erie: 814-455-9515 Esper Treatment Center: 814-459-0817 Erie Outpatient Treatment Center: 814-456-2203 Drug Rehab Erie PA: 814-201-7588 Drug Rehab Centers Erie PA: 814-651-9437 White Pine Center for Healing: 814-461-5617 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
