14
MiMfg Magazine
January 2019
To support a competitive manufacturing sector,
Michigan must:
From our Members:
The Need for Competitive Policy
• Resist intrusion in the employer-employee
relationship
• Protect employers’ ability to create and retain jobs
• Guard against efforts to reverse the downward
trend in workers’ comp costs
• Ensure the employer-funded unemployment
system is effective and efficient
• Defend fundamental employer property rights in
the workplace
• Fairly enforce credible workplace safety regulations
with a focus on education and compliance rather
than just penalties
• Address safety, talent and legal risks in the workplace
stemming from legal and illegal drugs in a tight
labor market
• Protect job-providers from unnecessary harassment
and frivolous lawsuits
• Ensure continued economic vitality by affirming
the right of individuals to work without being
compelled to belong to a union
In the coming years, manufacturers should continue
to fight for the core rights of employers in the workplace
and promote workforce policies that allow job creators
to stay competitive and grow their business.
Talent
Talent and workforce development is essential to
the continued strength of Michigan’s manufacturing
industry. Michigan has experienced an incredible
manufacturing jobs-based recovery — creating
190,800 new manufacturing jobs since June 2009.
However, manufacturers continue to face the challenge
Download your copy of the 2019-2020 Michigan
Manufacturing Agenda at mimfg.org .
Manufac
for Michig turing’s Strategy
an’s Futu
The 2019-2
020 Michig
re
an Manufa
cturing Ag
en
da
Gentex Corp
oration has
an MMA mem
been
ber since 1995
.
Manufactur
ing focused.
Member driven
mimfg.org
.
Annette Crandall
Quality Assured
Plastics, Inc.
It is important to offer
excellent benefits to
our employees but it is
no secret that health
insurance costs have
made that benefit almost
unaffordable to small
manufacturers. I count on
MMA to be my voice so I
can focus on running my
business and providing
good jobs in Michigan.
of locating, training and retaining the skilled trades
talent necessary to remain competitive with other
states and around the world.
To support a competitive manufacturing sector,
Michigan must:
• Invest in demand-driven manufacturing training
• Ensure that job training programs effectively
deliver the skills needed in the 21st century
economy
• Provide a comprehensive education system
that meets the technological needs of 21st
century employers
• Improve the image of manufacturing careers
The 2019-2020 Legislative Session will provide
manufacturers the opportunity to build on the
successful initiatives of recent years, including the
proper funding of the Going PRO Talent Fund
(formerly the Skilled Trades Training Fund), the
Marshall Plan for Talent and other career and technical
education options. By putting skilled trades funding
into the K-12 system and moving away from the
outdated belief that all good careers must follow a
singular path to success, Michigan’s manufacturing
future will be as bright and impactful as its past.
Energy Policy
The cost of energy is often the largest percentage
of a manufacturer’s product costs. As a manufacturing
state, Michigan must implement energy policies to
ensure manufacturers can produce products at prices
competitive with the rest of the world.
Energy policy must be innovative and adaptive,
free of specific source mandates and barriers that
raise costs and reduce reliability. An adaptive and
transparent system encourages flexibility, solutions
for reduced consumption, and reductions in the cost
to produce and deliver energy.