Most Michigan Teachers Will Receive Hazard Pay
We spoke in the past concerning a $500 dollar hazard pay that Michigan state Representatives, Senators and Governor decided the teachers of Michigan deserved. To be eligible for the hazard pay the teachers must have worked a minimum of 75% of the 2019-20 school year in person before they were sent home on March 16th and most started teaching virtually approximately 6 weeks later.
Not only were teachers from both public and nonprofit non-public schools to receive hazard pay but also support staff is also eligible for a $250.00 payment. Why the state Representatives, Senators and the Governor felt the support staff are only worth half as much as the teachers I do not know.
In a news release Governor Whitmer said:
“Our teachers and support staff have made incredible sacrifices this year to ensure our kids can get a great education while Michigan fights the COVID-19 pandemic...They deserve all of the support we can give.”
Great I am very happy for the teachers and support staff.
Now how about the rest of us who had to actually work from their place of business and not from the comfort of our home. For example how about the grocery store employees, first responders, police, medical personal and yes even radio talk show hosts. Where is our hazard pay? If all of those people had to actually work at their place of business that should be worth at least a $1,000 hazard payment.
In Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget the legislature and the Governor found $53 million for eligible K-12 classroom teachers and $20 million for eligible support staff.
What is interesting to me concerns the people who Governor Whitmer put on the unemployment line. They could have used an extra $100 a week she said the state did not have the money to help them off and refused to give the unemployed any additional dollars. These are people who were not collecting a paycheck at all and she denied them.
I reported last August that when given the opportunity to help the unemployed people of Michigan with an extra $100 a week she refused to do so. President Trump found money in his executive budget to give an extra $300 a week unemployment compensation and then asked the Governor's of the United States to chip in an extra $100.
Governor Whitmer denied that request.
Interesting is it not? I guess it shows you who she really cares about.
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