The Michigan Chamber of Commerce in Lansing, which represents businesses in all of the state’s 83 counties, issued a statement today calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to stop the ongoing “regulatory fiasco” at MIOSHA (Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration).
Late last week Whitmer announced the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) would align its mask requirements with the new Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines allowing vaccinated individuals to go mask-free in most indoor and outdoor settings, including private places of business. Federal OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) rules have been updated to reflect the new CDC guidance, as well.
But on Monday, MIOSHA announced a vague “plan” to change their rules but didn’t say when or how. In the meantime, the Whitmer administration continues to push for permanent COVID-19 workplace rules, even as the CDC, federal OSHA, and other states are moving to loosen their restrictions.
“The constant controlling and micromanaging of Michigander’s daily lives needs to stop,” says Rich Studley, president and CEO of the Michigan Chamber. “For over a year, Michiganders have been subjected to an endless stream of arbitrary, confusing, and constantly changing state orders from Lansing.
“In a continual cycle of mismanagement and miscommunication, Gov. Whitmer’s new MDHHS (Michigan Department of Health & Human Services) order matches only half of the new CDC guidance on masks and conflicts with her administration’s MIOSHA orders. The ongoing regulatory confusion and economic uncertainty caused by constantly changing state orders now goes beyond ineptitude to callous indifference.
“It’s time for the governor to start treating employees and employers like adults and allow Michigan to reopen safely.”
COVID-19 cases in Michigan are trending down, vaccination rates are up, and governors across the country are moving more decisively to safely reopen their states, says Wendy Block, vice president of business advocacy and member engagement for the Michigan Chamber.
“Meanwhile in Lansing, the Whitmer administration continues to slow-walk reopening Michigan and retain unwarranted government control over the daily lives of 10 million Michiganders,” says Block. “The Whitmer administration’s push for unnecessary and permanent MIOSHA rules is bureaucratic overreach. We call on the governor to immediately rescind both rule requests and stop the rulemaking process.”
The Michigan Chamber is a statewide business organization that represents employers, trade associations, and local chambers of commerce. The organization was established in 1959 to be an advocate for Michigan job providers in the legislative, political, and legal process.
For more information, visit www.michamber.com.
For a full report on Gov. Whitmer’s term in office from a business perspective, visit here to read the cover story from the May-June issue of DBusiness.
