Shakeup in the state's labor movement
The head of the Michigan AFL-CIO announced that he will step down. Michigan AFL-CIO President Mark Gaffney announced yesterday that he will not seek another term. Gaffney said new leadership is needed. MPRN's Rick Pluta reported that "Gaffney’s pending departure had been widely rumored as labor leaders fret about how to deal with the growing pile of anti-union measures under consideration at the state Capitol – including right to work bills." Pluta reports that Gaffney's replacement will likely be Karla Swift, who could be formally chosen at a labor convention next month.
Grand Rapids airport seeks permission to discharge de-icing fluid into river
Officials at the Gerald R. Ford International airport want to build a pipeline that will allow them to dump de-icing fluid into a nearby river. The Grand Rapids Press reports the pipeline will cost around $15 million:
The nearly mile-long pipeline to the Thornapple River would be used to dispose of an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 gallons a year of de-icing fluid. A proposal was submitted Sept. 1 to the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Most Detroit Schools are opening after power outages
Some schools in the Detroit district missed opening week because of power outages around the city. Detroit Public Schools now says most schools will reopen.
More from the Associated Press:
The Detroit Public Schools plans to hold classes as scheduled at most schools following power outages that caused early dismissals across the district. The district said Friday morning that all but four schools had power. One of the schools will relocate classes for the day and three will be closed. Recent storms and weather-related issues were blamed for outages that forced the early school closures Thursday and left other public buildings without lights for several hours. Problems with Detroit's aging electrical grid also contributed to the outages. Most power was restored by Thursday evening.
