Whitmer Claims Credit For 15,000 New Auto Jobs, But Fed Data Shows We’ve Lost That Many

First round of pandemic lockdowns slammed the industry hard

By Tom Gantert | September 18, 2021

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visited a Ford plant in Dearborn on Sept. 16 to announce that the company has completed an electric vehicle facility.

The governor promoted the event in a press release that stated, “Since Governor Whitmer took office, a record 15,000 good-paying auto jobs have been created in the state of Michigan, including the first Detroit auto plant in 30 years, cementing Michigan’s status as a global manufacturing leader.”

According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, as of August 2021, there are 15,400 fewer auto and auto part manufacturing jobs in Michigan than when Whitmer took office in January 2018.

The number of Michigan auto and auto part manufacturing jobs peaked at 315,000 in 2000. By 2009 the figure had fallen to 108,500 jobs. The total had rebounded to 175,100 jobs in 2018 and stuck near that level until the pandemic, when for two months auto plant jobs here fell below 100,000. The number has since recovered but remains slightly below pre-pandemic levels.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.

Mask Mandate Group Has Link To Left-Wing Political Group

Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools appears connected

By Tom Gantert | September 17, 2021

A group that is demanding a face mask mandate in schools says it represents parents around the state, but is using a politically left-wing nonprofit’s online tool to publish and operate its petition.

The Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools launched a petition on a site created by an organization calling itself the Action Network.

That group’s website invites users to “Join thousands of progressive organizations.” It links to the AFL-CIO union, the far-left Daily Kos news site, the Democratic National Committee and United We Dream, a nonprofit that defends undocumented immigrants.

“Action Network, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, trains and educates progressives about organizing and mobilizing with technology,” the website stated.

The website describes the organization’s goal as “forming deep partnerships with progressive organizations to build technology in true collaboration.”

The Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools was described by many Michigan media outlets this week as a grass roots organization. A review found no example of a state media outlet whose coverage disclosed its apparent ties to progressive political interests.

For example, the Detroit Free Press reported, “The coalition has involved parent groups in counties across the state, including Macomb, Oakland, Genesee, Wayne, Ottawa and Kent.”

MLive and the Detroit Free Press quoted Emily Mellits extensively in their stories and identified Mellits as “a Macomb County parent.” Mellits led the pro-masking parent coalition meeting on Wednesday that sparked extensive media coverage.

Mellits is listed on the website of the newly formed Northern Macomb Branch of the NAACP as a member at large of its executive committee.

The Detroit News also reported Mellits was the lead organizer of the Macomb Accountability Project.

The Macomb Accountability Project’s website posts on only one topic and that is organizing an effort to get former Republican Sen. Peter Lucido to resign as Macomb County prosecutor.