Unprocessed Unemployment Claims, Frozen Medicaid, and Public Safety Risks: UAW Members at the State of Michigan Outline Alarming Risks of Looming Shutdown

UAW Local 6000, representing 16,000 State of Michigan employees across 1,200 worksites, sounded the alarm with Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) in the Capitol as October 1 shutdown deadline looms.

LANSING — With October 1’s deadline for a Michigan government shutdown looming large in Lansing, the UAW sounded the alarm today about the critical State of Michigan (SOM) services that are in jeopardy. UAW Local 6000 represents 16,000 SOM employees across 1,200 worksites in Michigan, including the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary of State, and state corrections offices, among other critical departments.

“UAW Local 6000 members are on the front lines of ensuring the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable populations, providing critical services to people who depend on basic necessities essential to their survival,” said UAW Local 6000 President Rachel Dickinson. “When UAW Local 6000 members aren’t on the job, Michigan feels it fast—unemployment claims don’t get processed, SNAP and Medicaid slow down or grind to a halt, public safety is put at risk. This isn’t just paperwork; it’s people’s lives and the stability of our state.”

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with UAW Local 6000 members in Lansing today, Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) further elaborated on the stakes of the House’s bad budget that is spiraling Michigan towards a shutdown.

“As the daughter of two proud UAW retirees, I am proud to stand with UAW Local 6000 today and every day,” said Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing). “When we support our state employees, we support the very fabric of Michigan’s success. Senate Democrats will keep standing with our state workers and working around the clock until we pass a balanced state budget that funds essential human services, protects our workers, and invests in the future of our state.”

This week, SOM employees are expecting to see two-week notice letters in their mailboxes warning of the imminent shutdown on October 1. The ominous deadline comes following the Republican-majority Michigan House’s passage of a ruthless slash and burn budget that would impact working-class communities the harshest.

“It’s time for House Republicans to quit messing around with people’s livelihoods and the core services on which Michiganders rely,” said Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids). “These folks do the oftentimes unglamorous work of keeping our state running, yet have been maligned as ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’ We won’t stand for it. In this moment, they deserve honest leadership from the legislature and nothing less.”