Morale is at an all-time low inside Michigan’s correctional facilities. Thousands of officers head to work each day in the midst of a severe staffing crisis that shows no sign of stopping. Officers are resigning in droves due to burnout, unsafe working conditions and a lack of retirement benefits.
For years, our union has been fighting for relief. At every level of power, we’ve pushed for better pay, safer conditions and pensions for our officers to recruit and retain folks into our service.
In December 2024, the Michigan House and Senate finally heard us ― or so we thought. Both chambers passed House Bills 4665, 4666 and 4667, a series of bills that put corrections officers back into the hybrid pension system, the same pension State Police are provided. The next step should have been easy: The bills would head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for her signature.
Instead, our bills became part of a political power struggle that won’t end. The previous Speaker of the House, Joe Tate, and his clerk failed to transmit the bills on time, and the current Speaker, Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, is also refusing to follow the constitution. Their decision clearly defied Michigan’s State Constitution, which states: “Every bill passed by the legislature shall be presented to the governor.”
One lawsuit and a few appeals later, our case is now in front of the Michigan Supreme Court.If you’re exhausted reading about our bureaucratic marathon, imagine how our officers feel. Our state officials play politics while the reality inside our prisons only gets worse.
We are losing officers to private and public sector jobs because our wages and benefits aren’t competitive. For officers that remain in the field, there are forced double shifts that keep them away from their families for days at a time.
The state Supreme Court is now taking up a case that should have every Michiganian paying attention: Does our constitution mean what it says? The court cannot set the dangerous precedent that a single person can veto legislation. A court ruling against us would mean that hundreds of hours of testimony given by officers and the bipartisan votes of both legislative chambers could be erased by one person.
Justice cannot be denied. We look to our highest court to confirm that the law applies to all of us, no matter how powerful. Our officers have waited too long. It is time for justice to be served.
Ray Sholtz is Executive Director of the Michigan Corrections Organization and President of SEIU Michigan.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Politics shouldn’t block pension benefits for CO’s in Michigan | Labor Voices
Reporting by Ray Sholtz / The Detroit News
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