MEA Votes

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.”

An interesting development coming out of the Ann Arbor area – the Dick DeVos-backed Great Lakes Education Project is sending out mailings supporting a Senate candidate...in the Democratic primary.

GLEP has funded at least three mailings to Washtenaw County residents supporting state Rep. Pam Byrnes in her race against state Rep. Rebekah Warren for the empty 18th state Senate seat.

But why is GLEP, a pro-voucher, anti-public school organization founded by a right-wing billionaire, doing mailings in a Democratic primary?

The answer is pretty clear – they must believe that Warren’s commitment to public schools, public school employees and public school students runs counter to their organization’s long-standing attacks on these institutions.

And that’s exactly why Warren has MEA’s full support as we approach the primary next Tuesday, Aug. 3.

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.

The primary election is just two weeks away! To ensure that friends of public education win on Aug. 3 and move on to November's general election, we need to ensure MEA members get out and VOTE!

Are you interested in volunteering your time to make calls to members about MEA's recommended candidates? Sign up now via this online form.

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.

The primary is just 20 days away! Now is the time to stand up and help Virg Bernero on the path to victory on Tuesday, August 3.

This weekend, there will be large volunteer efforts making phone calls and knocking doors in support of Bernero, including activity in Ann Arbor, Pontiac, Oakland County, Flint and other communities across the state. If you are willing to come out and help, please send an email to lmyers@mea.org and jtobel@mea.org -- someone from the Bernero campaign will be in touch to schedule you for a volunteer shift.

A story in today’s Gongwer newsletter noted the one-year anniversary of the introduction of Speaker Andy Dillon’s proposal for a mandatory state-run health insurance pool for public employees.

There’s nothing much to celebrate though. After that full year, the proposal is still stewing in the House, with many lawmakers still uncertain on the basic numbers of Dillon’s plan – including proof of how (or even if) it will save the state money.

Gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero opposes the outsourcing of public school employees' jobs to private companies -- and he supports efforts to reform state law that prohibits collective bargaining over the issue.

MEA Votes recently asked Bernero questions about outsourcing. Here are his answers: