02-19-2009, 07:34 PM
Unemployment
Many members have reported that they had a hard time getting through to MARVIN. Most said they finally got through in the last 10 minutes of their hour to call in. According to news reports, Governor Granholm hired more people to help with unemployment claims in response to the problems experienced by many.
The Unemployment system now allows you to certify online. Go to http://www.Michigan.gov/uia. Go to the third bullet “UIA Online Services for Unemployed Workers” and click the link “MARVIN Online” to register. You will need to register as a new user. The system will send you your username and password in 3-5 days. This password is not the same as your MARVIN password. I would encourage our members who will be on Unemployment to take advantage of this. It will alleviate the jammed phone lines. Those who have used it report that it is easy to sign up and easy to use. It allows you to do more than just certify. It will show your week tallies and you can change payment method.
Running Out?
In the House stimulus plan that passed on January 28, $43 billion over two years would extend and increase unemployment benefits. Now it has to pass the U.S. Senate and go to conference committee.
Buying American
It looks like Congress is finally starting to get it. The stimulus bill passed by the House on January 28 would require all U.S. infrastructure projects to buy American-made steel and iron. In the Senate bill still being drafted, all stimulus-funded projects must use only equipment and goods made in the United States.
It appears that since the economy has tanked, people are starting to understand the wisdom of buying U.S.-made goods. This is something the UAW has been talking about for decades. GM and the UAW have some big work to do to rebuild our images. In those auto bridge loan hearings, our industry looked very bad to the public. While we were being vilified, the people in Republic Window in Illinois were staging a sit-in that was celebrated in the media.
GM needs to work on its image to make it cool to buy an American car again. Think about when Harley-Davidson bought the company from AMC. The quality improved and they started making good-looking products. Suddenly it was very cool to own a Harley motorcycle.
GM hurts its own image when they won’t rally around the American-made theme because they have so many plants in Mexico and in Third World countries. They are doing it all in the name of cheap labor.
To Contact Me
If you need assistance, call (810) 238-1616, ext. 15. Listen to the answering machine message to hear what days I will be in the office.
Many members have reported that they had a hard time getting through to MARVIN. Most said they finally got through in the last 10 minutes of their hour to call in. According to news reports, Governor Granholm hired more people to help with unemployment claims in response to the problems experienced by many.
The Unemployment system now allows you to certify online. Go to http://www.Michigan.gov/uia. Go to the third bullet “UIA Online Services for Unemployed Workers” and click the link “MARVIN Online” to register. You will need to register as a new user. The system will send you your username and password in 3-5 days. This password is not the same as your MARVIN password. I would encourage our members who will be on Unemployment to take advantage of this. It will alleviate the jammed phone lines. Those who have used it report that it is easy to sign up and easy to use. It allows you to do more than just certify. It will show your week tallies and you can change payment method.
Running Out?
In the House stimulus plan that passed on January 28, $43 billion over two years would extend and increase unemployment benefits. Now it has to pass the U.S. Senate and go to conference committee.
Buying American
It looks like Congress is finally starting to get it. The stimulus bill passed by the House on January 28 would require all U.S. infrastructure projects to buy American-made steel and iron. In the Senate bill still being drafted, all stimulus-funded projects must use only equipment and goods made in the United States.
It appears that since the economy has tanked, people are starting to understand the wisdom of buying U.S.-made goods. This is something the UAW has been talking about for decades. GM and the UAW have some big work to do to rebuild our images. In those auto bridge loan hearings, our industry looked very bad to the public. While we were being vilified, the people in Republic Window in Illinois were staging a sit-in that was celebrated in the media.
GM needs to work on its image to make it cool to buy an American car again. Think about when Harley-Davidson bought the company from AMC. The quality improved and they started making good-looking products. Suddenly it was very cool to own a Harley motorcycle.
GM hurts its own image when they won’t rally around the American-made theme because they have so many plants in Mexico and in Third World countries. They are doing it all in the name of cheap labor.
To Contact Me
If you need assistance, call (810) 238-1616, ext. 15. Listen to the answering machine message to hear what days I will be in the office.