MEA Votes

Tuesday's election is all about jobs -- and Democrat Virg Bernero is a proven job-creator, according to The Detroit News.

The newspaper yesterday touted Bernero's job creation record with a banner headline, "Bernero’s jobs claim not just hype." The gubernatorial hopeful created 6,000 jobs as mayor of Lansing -- a figure that would be higher if positions that were kept from leaving the city were counted, too, a newspaper investigation found.

Last night, MEA was proud to be among the 20 Great Debates sponsors of the only televised gubernatorial debate of the 2010 campaign. It truly was a great debate that gave viewers the chance to see the clear difference between the candidates and decide for themselves who deserves their vote to be our next governor. In case you missed it, you can watch the debate online!

A decade ago, if you were buying a new computer, you were probably looking forward to getting a cow-print box from Gateway dropped off at your door. Gateway was a strong U.S. brand that employed thousands of workers across the country.

Now, Gateway is nothing more than a label placed on overseas-manufactured computers. The jobs of Gateway’s American workers were shipped to other countries. A great American company took a nose-dive while its CEO and longtime board member, Rick Snyder, got very rich.

As Democratic and Republican activists attend their respective party conventions this weekend, the distinctions between the two men at the top of the tickets is obvious.

So, who's right for Michigan and public school employees? You choose!

Every two years, you hear the statement thrown around about how this election is the most important of our lives. I can think of at least four that I've been actively involved in that have been labeled as such.

Tuesday's primary makes five.

The fact is that every election is life-changing -- either for the better or the worse. The unique part about tomorrow's gubernatorial primary is that the distinction between those two outcomes has never been clearer.

Gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero took his campaign to MEA’s Summer Leadership Conference in Saginaw on Tuesday, urging union members to vote in Tuesday’s primary election.

“This is the fight of our lives,” Bernero said, citing frequent attacks on public education, a sagging economy, and the need to invest in Michigan’s future. “…We’re going to win this thing. We can do this with the power of the people.”

With the primary a little over a week away, it's time for all of us to stand up and show our support for Virg Bernero as our next governor.

On Monday, Bernero supporters will rally in four Michigan cities -- Grand Rapids, Holland, Sault Ste. Marie and Traverse City -- from 4:30 to 6 p.m. More rallies are in the works in those cities and more for Aug. 2, the eve of the primary election.

MEA members across Michigan are standing up in support of Virg Bernero and working hard to ensure he wins the Tuesday, Aug. 3 primary. One member, Carrie Chobanian of Plymouth-Canton EA, took the time to write a great letter supporting Bernero's candidacy for governor -- we wanted to share it with all of you!

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.

Listen to an MEA Votes podcast with gubernatorial hopeful Virg Bernero, MEA's recommended candidate in the Aug. 3 primary.

In this 13-minute podcast, Bernero discusses education funding and why it's so important that the state provide adequate, equitable, and stable aid for public schools.