A union president of school employees sent an email that appears to be from her work email asking school employees to get "everyone we know to vote for Democrats.”

Debbie Bence, president of the Plymouth Canton Cafeteria Association, sent the email June 4 at 7:11 a.m. to "Food Services — Managers." The email could violate the state's campaign finance law that prohibits districts from using school resources in expressing advocacy in an election, according to one legal expert.

"When you start saying, 'You need to go vote for Democrats,' that is where you crossed the line," said Eric Doster, the general counsel for the state Republican Party. "You do have a violation there."

Bence didn’t respond to a voice message left on her work phone. Plymouth Canton School Superintendent Jeremy Hughes didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

The email in question that was sent to the food services managers included an attachment that included MEA President Steven Cook’s comments on the emergency manager's plan to turn Muskegon Heights Public Schools into a charter school district.

Bence's e-mail read:
PCCS Local Presidents,

"You might want to share this with your membership. This is what an EFM can do once they take over a district. This is the future for public education in Michigan with a Republican Governor and legislature. If our members do not get out to vote in November, we have no one to blame but ourselves for not voting and getting everyone we know to vote for Democrats."

The law states that school districts that violate the law could face a fine up to $20,000 for the misdemeanor. But a Michigan Capitol Confidential analysis done last year of campaign finance violations from 2006-2010 found that school districts were only fined $100 for breaking the law. 

On the day Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill to stop the flow of money being taken from home health care workers checks and handed to the Service Employees International Union, the union signed a contract extension with the dummy employer it helped create to keep the scheme alive.

The contract extension between the Michigan Quality Community Care Council and the SEIU keeps what is now known as the "home health care dues skim" potentially in place through February 2013. Attorney Gen. Bill Schuette ordered an end to the "skim" last month but the SEIU sued in federal court to keep it alive. 

Healthcare Michigan, an affiliate of the SEIU, signed the contract extension with Susan Steinke, executive director of the Michigan Quality Community Care Council.

MQC3 was the dummy employer used by the SEIU to net tens of thousands of so-called home health care workers into the union seven years ago. The target of the unionization scheme was the Medicaid checks sent to help provide home care for homebound patients.

Most of those workers had no way of knowing what was taking place and the vast majority were family members or friends taking care of loved ones in their homes. 

So far the SEIU has received more than $30 million in dues and other fees deducted from the Medicaid checks.

"Given that MQC3 is being funded by the union it should be no surprise that they made such a last minute deal," said Patrick Wright, senior legal analyst for Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "This extension has nothing to do with keeping a registry in place or helping caregivers. It has everything to do with cash flow for the union."

In 2011, the Michigan Legislature de-funded the MQC3 in an effort to stop the "skim." However, documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that the dummy employer was kept alive with at least one transfusion of money ($12,000) from the SEIU and with Steinke running it out of her Okemos home. Adding to the extraordinary circumstances was the fact that Steinke could work no more than three hours a month because she wanted to maintain her unemployment compensation.

Steinke did not respond to questions asking her where the extension was signed; if there were any witnesses; if the signing complied with the Open Meetings Act or other details surrounding the now extended contract.