Article

Lansing workers return to new normal

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Across the Lansing area, workers have faced different challenges since March because of COVID-19. But for recent Mason High School graduate Reagan Bercaw, she said going back to her job at Plato’s Closet made her feel just as at home as she did all quarantine. “For me, coming back (to work) was really nice to finally have something that I actually had to do,” Bercaw said. “I hated sitting at home.”

Bercaw, like many others, was laid off March 23 while Plato’s Closet in East Lansing was closed during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order. Some employees resumed work May 14, but Bercaw came back June 1.

Business & Economy

Fewer government jobs means higher workload for those remaining

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By SAODAT ASANOVA-TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING – Michigan’s government employment is the second lowest in the nation, a new report says. A poll by Gallup Inc., a polling consulting company, shows that 12.2 percent of the Michigan workforce holds federal, state or local government jobs. Pennsylvania has the lowest proportion, 12.1 percent. The report noted that 64 percent of Americans say that they fear “big government” more then “big business” or “big labor”. John DiTizio, director of labor relations at Michigan Association of Governmental Employees, said he is not surprise by the poll results.