“Some staff may often enter a prison before the sun rises and leave after the sun sets,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “They may go days without the ability to spend meaningful time with family. Not only do these grueling conditions lead to high stress and morale problems in the workplace, but they also put additional strain on the families waiting for their loved ones to come home after a long shift. If the state is going to ask staff to sacrifice this much personal time, they deserve the best possible retirement benefits waiting at the end of their professional careers.”

“Ambulance services that serve our prisons are usually small rural services, often funded by taxpayer millages and fees for service,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “They operate on razor-thin budgets, so when a large company with state contracts doesn’t pay its bills, the ambulance services are severely impacted. Wellpath has refused to pay the several millions of dollars it owes services across the state, leaving individual departments unreimbursed for tens of thousands of dollars. The communities that rely on these essential services are being unfairly punished with the financial burden of Wellpath’s decisions. The state must step in and fulfill its responsibilities to first responders while holding irresponsible contractors accountable.”

State Rep. Dave Prestin today reiterated a call for action to improve work conditions and alleviate staffing crises in Michigan’s prisons, following a recent tour of the Chippewa Correctional Facility. While Prestin was at the facility with Michigan Corrections Officers’ Union President Byron Osborn and other administration officials from the prison, a prisoner violently struck […]

“Corrections officers aren’t leaving their jobs because they’re mad about taking a few college credits ten years ago. They’re leaving because they don’t get paid enough,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “The department is shoveling money into a traveling circus that jumps from job fair to job fair, basically begging people to become corrections officers. What they don’t tell you is 6 out of 10 officers leave just a few months into the job once they realize how little they’re paid to work in a warzone waiting to explode and have no solid family life. MDOC needs to fund the things that matter, like increased pay and benefits. We’ll never fix this crisis if we don’t keep the well-trained, hardworking staff already doing the job.”

State Reps. Dave Prestin and Greg Markkanen on Thursday joined with State Sen. Ed McBroom to announce they would be participating in upcoming informational pickets to support the Michigan Corrections Officers Union. The meetings are scheduled for next week at three prisons across the Upper Peninsula. Officials within the corrections union said they feel driven […]

“The hospitality industry is as American as baseball and apple pie. These systems have been in place forever, and this decision upends all of it,” said Prestin, who has worked in, owned, or operated restaurants for 27 years. “Every one of my friends in the industry who are still hanging on were just dealt a killing blow by the Michigan Supreme Court. There is no way to modify policies or procedures within your traditional sit-down restaurant model and make these changes work. Everything about this ruling is 100% catered to the fast-food industry. Your waitstaff will be left unemployed, as classic sit-down restaurants won’t have any customers left because the cost of a beer and burger will be so high that everyone will just stay home.”

“Raising wages is key to solving the staffing shortage,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “In Menominee County, we saw that the higher wages helped bring in more corrections officers and retain the officers we had. It’s cheaper too, since retention helps reduce the extraordinary amount of training costs and reducing the amount of mandatory overtime saves money and provides officers with better work-life balance. In today’s economy, prospective employees are attracted by wages, more so than any part of a benefits package. This plan worked for Menominee County, and it can work on a larger scale. As head of MDOC, Director Washington has been unable to solve the disaster within her department. If she can’t find the answers, then the governor needs to find someone who can.”

“It’s a great feeling to know that all the talking that happens downstate finally brought about something good for a change,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Between these two investments, we’re talking about nearly $1 million coming back to our community. This funding will mean our seniors will get the meals they need, and our high school students will have athletic facilities they can be proud of.”

“Many of the problems Rudyard faces are just simply unimaginable to folks outside the community,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Students shouldn’t need to bring an umbrella out of their locker to stay dry in math. Infrastructure problems like this stand in the way of kids receiving the education they deserve. This money means the school can finally make the fixes they’ve been working toward for decades. The kids at Rudyard will finally be able to leave their umbrellas in their lockers where they belong.”

“You don’t have to work in an ambulance or an emergency room for very long before you see just how devastating staffing shortages can be,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Allowing trained EMTs and paramedics to continue doing their jobs as they proceed through the licensing process is a common-sense policy change that will have a major impact. One or two new laws aren’t going to solve the problem. But efforts like this continue moving us in the right direction and further emphasize the importance of addressing statewide staffing shortages.”

“By raiding the teacher pension fund, the Democrats are betraying retirees who have dedicated their lives to our kids. Putting former educators at risk in a time of heightened economic volatility is reckless and dangerous,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Superintendents, teachers, and staff called all day to let me know that this budget is bad for their schools and colleagues. Someone needs to tell Democrats, especially ones who claim to represent the U.P., that economic responsibility doesn’t end at the kitchen table.”

“We’re losing students who have gone through the rigors of EMS training on the 120-day rule, which disallows students from remaining as an EMT if they don’t pass their first certification test,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “This legislation paves the way for students to continue providing care under the direct supervision of their peers or superiors as they continue to seek full licensure and a permanent place in the EMS world.”