This week, Rina Miller and Jack Lessenberry discuss the certification of Detroit’s mayoral primary results, the Detroit ACLU’s case against the FBI, and a union’s “fee-for-service” for employee grievances.
State will perform recount of Detroit mayoral ballots
Earlier this week, Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett threw out nearly 20,000 ballots from the Detroit mayoral primary. This removed half of the votes for front-runner candidate Mike Duggan. The Wayne County canvassers refused to certify the ballots, and now the state will be responsible for a recount. Lessenberry adds that “...all this is not going to affect the general election at all. The two candidates on the ballot are still going to be Benny Napoleon and Mike Duggan, but this is mainly just for bragging rights to see who finished first.”
Detroit ACLU loses racial and ethnic mapping case
The Detroit chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has lost a round of its case against the FBI. The ACLU sued the FBI over racial mapping in investigations and withholding information about its use of the practice. Lessenberry says “The federal appeals court said that the FBI needs to do this as part of its crime fighting technique and that they’re allowed to withhold some information so that terrorists and criminals can’t know what they’re looking into.” He also notes that the next option is for the ACLU to appeal to the Supreme Court, though it’s unsure whether the court would take the case or not.
Mackinac Center challenges “fee-for-service”
The Mackinac Center has filed a case challenging a union’s right to charge a fee for service. The Teamsters, who represent the group of Dearborn employees in question, have enacted a policy charging non-union workers $150 to file a grievance. Lessenberry says “The workers who have quit the union don’t want to do that. They think that the union should be forced to represent them anyway.” He also says that the Mackinac Center is widely seen as a conservative, anti-union organization.
