MEA Votes

If health insurance -- and the right to collectively bargain whether you have insurance and which plan you have -- is important to you, then you'll want to vote in the Aug. 3 primary.

If health insurance isn't your hot button issue, how about school funding, jobs, outsourcing, or workers' rights?

Because when it comes to these issues -- ranked as important by MEA members statewide -- there's just one candidate who strongly supports public education students and the people who teach and work with them.

That candidate is Democrat Virg Bernero, recommended by MEA in the Aug. 3 election.

On health care, Bernero is the only candidate who supports your right to continue to bargain your health insurance and who strongly opposes legislative proposals that would force public employees to pay 20 percent of their health insurance.

Bernero's opponent, Andy Dillon, as you may recall, is the architect of proposals to force all public employees into a state-run health plan. Despite initial promises to save the state hundreds of millions of dollars under such a scheme, Dillon failed to produce any proof of savings.

Health care isn't the only issue that differentiates Bernero from Dillon. Here's where the Democrats stand on some key issues:

School funding
Bernero: Supports adequate, stable, equitable and timely funding for education at all levels. (Listen to a podcast with Bernero on this topic)
Dillon: As leader of the House, cut K-12, community college, and university budgets.

Jobs
Bernero: Fought and stood up to Wall Street bankers to defend Michigan's auto industry and our workers when no one else would.
Dillon: Under Dillon's leadership as speaker of the house, Michigan has lost more than 580,000 jobs.

Health care
Bernero: Advocates for extending access to health care. Supported President Obama's plan. Believes public employee health care should be collectively bargained.
Dillon: Introduced proposals to force all public employees into a state-run health plan. Wavered in support of comprehensive health care reform.

Outsourcing
Bernero: Opposes the outsourcing of public employees' jobs to private companies.
Dillon: Agreed to eliminate language in retirement package that would prohibit outsourcing school employees' jobs to private companies.

Workers' rights
Bernero: Proponent of collective bargaining. Opponent of Right-to-Work legislation.
Dillon: Hostile to collective bargaining and wants to decrease teachers' hard-earned pensions and health care plans.

Primary voters will have the option of voting in either the Democratic or Republican primary. In the Republican primary, five candidates are vying for the nomination.