August 29, 2008
Ensuring good jobs for workers best way to celebrate Labor Day
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that the very best way to celebrate Labor Day is to ensure that workers in every corner of the state have good jobs to support their families.
"Today, we are fighting to keep the legacy of hard-working Michiganians moving forward," Granholm said. "That's why I will continue to go anywhere and do anything to bring good-paying jobs to our state, helping to employ tens of thousand who are looking for jobs."
Last week the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced that it is helping 20 projects and companies in Michigan, creating and retaining nearly 9,500 jobs, and the week before, $6.5 million in new funding for the Michigan Nursing Corps was announced that will add thousands of new nurses to the ranks.
"In these tough economic times and in this competitive global economy, I am fighting to make sure that Michigan workers and Michigan businesses succeed in this 21st century economy," Granholm said. "I know that we will, because in Michigan, we are blessed with the best workers in the world to drive our economy forward. So for Labor Day 2008, let's celebrate the workers and the work that we are doing in Michigan."
The governor and her family will join thousands of Michigan citizens for the annual Labor Day walk across the Mackinac Bridge on Monday.
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available on the governor's Web site at (
www.michigan.gov/gov
) for download, together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Radio Address - Labor Day
August 29, 2008
This is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
This Labor Day, my family and I will join thousands of Michigan citizens who will run and walk across the Mackinac Bridge for the annual Bridge Walk event. We'll be celebrating the importance of fitness for Michigan families, and we'll be thinking about Michigan workers who have helped define our state and lead the labor movement across the country. The Mackinac Bridge is - for me - a symbol of a great Michigan value: the value of hard work.
And just as Michigan workers built the Mighty Mac to unite Michigan, the labor movement united Michiganians to improve working conditions and pay. And in the process, they led the nation in creating a prosperous middle class reaching far beyond union membership.
Today, we are fighting to keep the legacy of hard-working Michiganians moving forward. That's why I will go anywhere and do anything to bring good-paying jobs to our state, helping employ tens of thousands who are looking for jobs. We're driven forward in this fight by a can-do and will-do attitude, and it's a fight we know we can win with our aggressive economic plan.
Even as the nation's economy is challenged, we can see signs of progress in Michigan. Last week, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced that it is helping 20 projects and companies right here in Michigan, creating and retaining nearly 9,500 jobs. And the week before that, we announced $6.5 million in new funding for the Michigan Nursing Corps to add thousands of new nurses to the ranks over the next five years.
And just last month, we announced that in it's first year, our No Worker Left Behind program has helped tens of thousands of Michigan workers get the training they need to get good-paying jobs in areas of high demand. And we expect to do even more in the year ahead thanks to new state funding, additional federal money, and a strong focus on alternative energy and green jobs.
It is no secret that Michigan's economy is challenged due to the loss of manufacturing jobs, but Michigan's strong manufacturing history and geography make us a natural fit for the thousands of alternative energy jobs being created each year. I say we will win these jobs for Michigan and replace the lost manufacturing jobs with a whole new, growing sector.
The very best way to celebrate Labor Day is to ensure that workers in every corner of the state have good jobs to support their families. In these tough economic times and in this competitive global economy, I am fighting to make sure that Michigan workers and Michigan businesses succeed in this 21st century economy.
I know that we will, because in Michigan, we are blessed with the best workers in the world to drive our economy forward. So for Labor Day 2008, let's celebrate the workers and the work that we are doing in Michigan.
Thank you for listening.
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