Before coming to Michigan Works! West Central for assistance with schooling, Kristen
Rodriguez wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to complete her dream of becoming a
registered nurse.

She had recently moved home after dropping out of the pre-med program at Grand Valley
State University, and found work at Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital as a nurse tech,
earning less than $12 per hour. Kristen felt defeated and wasn’t sure what she was going to do
with her life.

Her struggles continued as she distanced herself from family and friends to focus on her
schoolwork. The exams in the nursing program at Muskegon Community College were more
challenging than anything she experienced before. On top of that, she was constantly
exhausted.

Michigan Works! West Central was able to help Kristen get her education and career paths
back on track. The organization assisted her with funding for nursing school and provided
assistance with school supplies. Within two years, Kristen graduated and passed her state
certification shortly thereafter. She was later hired as a RN, earning nearly $27.50 per hour.

“Succeeding as a registered nurse is the proudest moment of my life,” she said. “If someone is
struggling in their career or is struggling to make a choice for their future, I encourage them to
look at the things they have accomplished and what they have passion for. I’d also make sure to
tell them about Michigan Works! West Central and how much they helped me get where I am
now. This is such a great program to help people chase their dreams.”

Michigan Works! Agencies across the state have helped countless clients like Kristen achieve
their dreams. The Michigan Works! system has proven its “one-stop” method of Wagner-Peyser
Employment Service delivery is best-in-class, with Michigan consistently outpacing the national
median for performance and consistently having one of the lowest costs-per-participant rates in
the country.

But now, the statewide system is at risk of not being able to help the 675,000 job seekers and
32,000 businesses it does each year under proposed changes by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Wagner-Peyser Staffing Act proposed rule change as written by the USDOL Employment
and Training Administration would remove the State of Michigan’s authority over its workforce
system service delivery model, leaving employers and job seekers with a disjointed, less
efficient structure.

What is Wagner-Peyser, and why does it matter?

Michigan Works! uses Employment Service (Wagner-Peyser) funding to meet the needs of
employers and job seekers. These services and funds are integrated into everything Michigan
Works! does. Employment Service is the foundation of the statewide system.

Without these core services and funds, at least 20 of the 99 Michigan Works! American Job
Centers across the state will be forced to close, primarily those serving rural communities.
It gets worse.

A survey of the 16 Michigan Works! Agencies, compiled with state and federal performance
data, found if the proposed rule is implemented 80 percent of Michigan Works! Agencies would
be forced to reduce services to veterans; 62 percent to eliminate and 18 percent reducing

immigrant and refugee navigator services; 63 percent eliminating and 31 percent reducing
Clean Slate services for formerly incarcerated people; and 86 percent will have to reduce the
more than 9,000 career awareness events – mostly for youth and college students – including
the award-winning MiCareerQuest events.

We would also be facing a dramatic reduction of business services, including 88 percent of
Michigan Works! Agencies providing decreased assistance with recruiting and retention
services; 100 percent forced to reduce and eliminate job fairs; and 87 percent forced to cut
support of industry-led collaboratives, would hinder our employers’ abilities to grow and thrive in
this challenging labor market.

The intricate and monumental partnership of local Michigan Works! Agencies and the State of
Michigan in coordinating and administering the successful Going PRO Talent Fund would be
decimated, with 88 percent of agencies having to dramatically reduce their employer outreach
and application support efforts, while two agencies would be forced to discontinue Going PRO
Talent Fund support altogether.

If implemented, the new staffing rule would also result in job loss in the system, estimated at
the loss of 220 full-time equivalents. This total loss of Wagner-Peyser funding would result in
staffing funds that are currently distributed among more than 400 staff with different skills and
specialties being cut down to 100 full-time state merit staff, who will each have to assume a
caseload of nearly 1,000 people a year without the direct connections to other programs or
funds to serve them.

If these proposed changes are approved, it would be devastating to the Michigan Works!
Network, and the thousands of job seekers and employers we service each year.
But Michiganders are not without power.

Residents, elected officials, business owners and leaders can speak and be heard. A public
comment period is open until June 21, 2022, and we are asking for your help. Visit
bit.ly/3OdDoZi to leave a public comment about why you want Michigan’s workforce system to
stay as it is. Share your experiences with Michigan Works!, and take action to protect those who
protect and support so many others in our communities.
Together, we can make a difference.