The results of a Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) poll of local government leaders appeared in a variety of Michigan news outlets, including two articles from the Detroit Free Press (a staff report and a report from the Associated Press) and two from the Detroit News (a column and a staff report), as well as reports in the Lansing State Journal, the Battle Creek Enquirer, Crain's Detroit Business, Michigan Radio, and MLive.com.
This latest Michigan Public Policy Survey examined the opinions of county administrators and board chairs, city mayors and managers, village presidents and managers, and township supervisors, clerks and managers. The poll's findings showed that 43 percent of local officials see public sector unions as "somewhat of a liability" to the fiscal health of their community. 13 percent described them as a "significant liability," and 29 percent described them as "neither and asset nor a liability," with only 15 percent responding in any positive form. However, the findings also showed that 45 percent of local officials viewed the state of their relationship with public sector unions as "good" and another 15 percent described it as "excellent."
"It's a complex picture," CLOSUP administrator Thomas Ivacko told the Associated Press. "I kind of expected to see more conflict. The relationships are in fact pretty solid." He added that there was little difference between Democratic and Republican officials' views of public sector unions.
[Read more about the report]
[Complete list and links to media coverage of the MPPS report]
Photo: Michigan Municipal League
CLOSUP opinion poll on views of public sector unions appears in several news sources
August 31, 2011