Advocacy News – March 9, 2021
Last week, the Michigan Chamber, in cooperation with local chambers and trade and business associations from across the state, announced the launch of a “Reopen Michigan Safely” coalition. We are calling on Gov. Whitmer to #EndTheOfficeBan and allow Michigan businesses across all industries to work together toward reopening safely.
The good news is that efforts by the coalition are already making a difference, although we must keep moving forward with our call to #EndTheOfficeBan on or before the rapidly approaching April 14th expiration of Whitmer’s MIOSHA Emergency Rule and FAQ that bans most in-person office work.
On Monday night, The Detroit News reports that Gov. Whitmer, “hopes to begin bringing workers back into office spaces in the coming weeks, potentially ahead of the April 14 expiration of an emergency rule that banned in-office work.”
We responded to this new information in the same Detroit News article: “The coalition said Monday it was “encouraged” that the governor appeared to be listening to businesses and argued the businesses themselves should be trusted to develop their own plans to safely return,” said John Sellek, a spokesman for the coalition. “We look forward to seeing the details on how we can work together but our jobs, downtowns and cities are hanging in the balance each day that goes by without a plan.”
Because we have no details on how Gov. Whitmer’s comments, made during a radio interview, will translate into action, again, please keep spreading the word about Reopen Michigan Safely.
The most important thing you can do is have your members, and their family and friends, ask Governor Whitmer to #EndTheOfficeBan, either by phone (517/335-7858) or email. We also need you to sign our petition, share your story on the website about how the office ban or other restrictions are impacting your business and/or operations and share the news of the coalition via your social media channels.
To follow the coalition, you can find us at:
• www.ReopenMichiganSafely.com
• YouTube
• [facebook.com/reopenmichigansafely]Facebook
• Hashtag: #EndTheOfficeBan
Please let Wendy Block know if you have any questions or would like to get more involved. She can be emailed at wblock@michamber.com.