Michigan Senate Democrats passed legislation on Thursday to rein in skyrocketing health insurance costs for educators and other public employees. While the GOP-controlled House is unlikely to take up the bill, the Senate’s action makes it clear that educators’ fight for more affordable healthcare is not over — but it does hinge on the result […]
By Chanda Madafferi, President and CEO, Michigan Education Association In neighborhood schools across our state, educators and students are starting another school year full of excitement, optimism and possibilities. Teachers and school support staff have been hard at work for weeks, finalizing lesson plans, setting up classrooms, stocking supplies, shelving library books, and putting little […]
MEA member Aaron Bailey knows what it is like to be a brand-new paraprofessional in a classroom at the beginning of the school year. “When I first started, I had very little training, and I was lucky enough to get teachers who had 10 or 15 years of experience and could take the time to […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In the 16 years since becoming a paraeducator in Fraser Public Schools, MEA member Michelle James helped form a union, assisted in bargaining the group’s first contract, and held every position in her local — including her current role as president. But it wasn’t until a recent bout with […]
By Tanner Delpier, MEA Labor Economist This opinion piece appeared in Bridge Michigan on Aug. 24. I built my career studying public education in Michigan. Nothing scares me more for its future than vouchers. For 30 years, some Michigan lawmakers have pushed the agenda of school choice and privatization, including allowing unlimited charter schools to divert […]
By Chandra Madafferi, President & CEO, Michigan Education Association “I left my gallbladder in Kentucky” might sound like the refrain of a bad country song – but it’s also been my recent reality. I am incredibly thankful for the care I received from the doctors, nurses and hospital staff during a recent health emergency while […]
From NEA.org: State governors have the power to reject the first national voucher program and prevent a tidal wave of funding to unaccountable private schools In 2025, Republicans created the first national voucher program when they passed the tax law known as H.R. 1. The legislation uses the tax code to create scholarship-granting organizations. It is a […]
The following statement can be attributed to Michigan Education Association President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, a teacher from Oakland County, in response to the legislative Democrats reintroducing previously passed legislation addressing rising public employee health care costs: “We are thankful that Michigan’s Democratic legislators have reintroduced a bill to rein in skyrocketing health care costs […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Update 7/29: Democratic legislators have reintroduced versions of this vetoed legislation to rein in skyrocketing health care costs for school employees. Whether it’s now or in 2027 with newly elected lawmakers, addressing this crisis for educators is a top priority. Learn more and take action today! Retired MEA Lobbyist Christina Canfield […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Michigan’s labor movement, including the Michigan AFL-CIO, UAW and the Michigan Education Association, issued the following joint statement on Governor Whitmer’s veto of the stalled bills: “Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s veto of these nine bills, following a long legal battle waged by leaders in her own party, betrays democratic values and abandons […]
