E
lections elicit strong feelings from many
Americans . While some relish the entertainment of the vitriolic scrum over political philosophies , others turn away in disgust at the partisan bickering . No matter your personal feelings or political affiliation , elections matter and stand to fundamentally shift the future of your business , your industry and the communities in which you work and live .
Participating in electoral politics is a necessary business strategy for manufacturers . To execute that strategy successfully , it is important to view politics from the context of your business operations , stay informed about the issues and the individuals on the ballot on 11 / 3 / 20 and be a leader in electing pro-manufacturing officials .
Elections Impact Your Day-to-Day Operations
With hundreds of new government orders , financial relief opportunities appearing and disappearing in a flash and rapidly changing regulations , never before has the impact of decisions made by state and federal officials been in a greater spotlight than throughout the COVID-19 crisis .
Executive Order 2020-21 issued on 3 / 23 / 20 abruptly shut down many manufacturing operations not clearly identified as “ critical infrastructure ,” shattering the business cycle , interrupting the ebb and flow of industry supply and demand and interrupting decisions made about the allocation of resources . With enormous capital investments and large raw material costs , manufacturers are not designed to stop and start operations and most suffered with serious cash flow issues .
To address the cash flow crunch , many manufacturers were forced into difficult decisions about their workforce . While changes to unemployment — a joint state / federal program funded entirely with employer tax dollars — initially helped employers
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smooth over the production disruption , manufacturers have reported that extended unemployment benefits and enhanced federal unemployment payments have created challenges to getting workers back on the job .
Manufacturers need certainty and predictability in state policy , so we need legislators and leaders who understand and support the production environment .
— Scott Ryan , Vice President of General Counsel & Corporate Secretary , Gentex Corporation
Further exacerbating ongoing workforce disruption , a patchwork of local policies relating to virtual schooling have challenged remote work and prevented many working parents from resuming in-person work . While new regulations and orders piled up , companies facing the very real threat of frivolous lawsuits have been offered no clear legal protections , even when they took action to support health care workers and first responders who were desperate for personal protective equipment ( PPE ).
When these threats and vulnerabilities are viewed in the context of the supply chain , the risks to the Michigan economy become very real . If any part of a supply chain fails ; whether caused by liquidity challenges , inability to bring workers back or frivolous lawsuits , the whole supply chain fails . Since manufacturing relies on supply chain viability — and manufacturing is the largest sector of the Michigan economy — Michigan ’ s future truly depends on legislative and regulatory decisions that recognize the realities of modern-day manufacturing and on the decision-making of pro-manufacturing lawmakers .
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See page 16 to join MMA ’ s Government Affairs team for a two-part Election Webinar series revealing the impact on manufacturers .
See page 19 to identify the pro-manufacturing candidates MMA has endorsed .
See page 20 for a “ face off ” between Democratic and Republican fundraising campaign chairs .
Download the MFG Voter Guide to access vote records , candidate survey and more .
Visit the MFG Vote Center to verify your vote registration , find your candidates and more
at mimfg . org / mfgvoter .
MFG Voter Guide
2020
Click to download your copy of the MFG Voter Guide