The Michigan Manufacturers Association is calling on lawmakers to pass reforms that the organization says will restore the states industrial base.
The group is asking for personal property tax reductions, opposition to mandates for providing healthcare, a "fair litigation climate," protections against regulation and workforce training.
On the issue of health care, the group, which represents more than 3,000 manufacturing members, supports employers' rights to utilize mail-order prescription services and a "consumer-driven" healthcare system that encourages wellness programs.
"Michigan's job providers deserve flexibility in providing access to healthcare at the best possible price," said Michigan Manufacturing Association (MMA) President John MacIlory in an April 11 statement.... "We will fight the shifting of costs from the uninsured to the insured."
The organization also is calling for protections from lawsuits after products have been approved by the federal government, backing of Michigan's current tort and liability laws, promoting the creation of health courts and supporting a federal solution to asbestos litigation.
In terms of workforce changes, the association asks for no new unemployment benefit costs on businesses, a halt to new state-based regulatory systems that are more stringent than federal requirements, protection of employer rights during union organizing efforts and maintenance of current workers' compensation reforms. The organization also mentions worker retraining, choice and competition in the educational system and promotion of manufacturing careers as part of its agenda.
