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U of M Lecturers Participate In FLASH MOB To Call Attention To Contract Negotiations
The University of Michigan's Lecturer's union, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), entered talks for the group's fourth contract with on November 30, 2012. LEO, as the union is known, represents some 1,500 full-time…
19 Top-Level City Staffers Lose Car Allowances, Including Police Chief and CFO
UNDER FORMER CITY administrator Roger Fraser, the amounts paid out in tax dollars for cell phone allowances increased almost 95 percent between 2009 and 2012. By 2012, 196 of the city's 693 full-time employees had been given cell phone…
Auditors Catch Ann Arbor City Attorney Double-Dipping & New Council Members Press For Full Details
by P.D. Lesko
Usually, employees get fired for filching money or abusing an employer-issued credit card. Except in Ann Arbor. Auditors past and present, in fact, have sent the city's Audit Committee letters of warning about sloppy…
While Fire & Police Cut, Taxpayers Paid Over $1.5M Dollars For City Employee Cell Phones
In Ann Arbor, despite repeated cuts to services, cuts to police and fire, and hikes in fees for parking, parking fines, water, sewer, solid waste and city programs, cell phone allowances for city staffers, many of whom have desk jobs,…
City Administrator Memo To Council: “At this time, I am not proceeding with reducing the number of fire stations”
John Hieftje and his political pals have a reputation of ignoring public opinion. Perhaps the most egregious example was a 2008 Council meeting at which petitions with 6,000 signatures were presented to Council to urge them to put the…
Foodist: Restaurant Review—Great Plains Burger Co.
Restaurant Review: 3.5/5 stars (good, reliable)—Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the reviewer’s reaction to food, with ambiance, service and price taken into consideration, as well.
Great Plains Burger Co.
1771 Plymouth…
Ann Arbor Cronyism & “Double-Dipping” Scams Go Prime Time in Detroit Water Department Scandal
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Sue McCormick said Friday she "remains confident" in former Ann Arbor Police Chief Barnett Jones. Her department also sent out a press release January 11th affirming confidence in Jones and…
Five Year Solid Waste Plan Reveals Single-Stream Recycling Not Meeting Critical Goals
BETWEEN 2010 AND 2012, Berkeley, California, Walpole, Massachusetts, Auburn, Maine, and Concord, New Hampshire, among other U.S. cities voted not to adopt single-stream recycling, or abandoned single-stream recycling, according to a 2012…
The Political Agenda of the Michigan GOP Has Created Economic Apartheid, Not Jobs
by Rob Smith
On December 12, 2012 Governor Rick Snyder was quoted in the Detroit Free Press as saying that "Michigan is well-positioned for a comeback." A few days later, for the third year, Forbes Magazine ranked Michigan 47th in Forbes’…
Readership of AA.com Plummets 75% According to Execs—Site Loses Another Key Staffer to the Freep
by P.D. Lesko
If the down-sizing and attrition continue apace at AnnArbor.com, Laurel Champion, former publisher of the Ann Arbor News, will be left to head the organization as Executive Vice President in Charge of, Well, Everything. Steve…