Stateside: Amazon comes to Pontiac without incentives; labor history; climate strikers

Today on Stateside, students across Michigan take to the streets to voice their concerns about climate change. Plus, the Pontiac Silverdome may be developed into an Amazon distribution center.

Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below. 

Roundup: Governor Whitmer appears to be left out of budget negotiations

• The budget for K-12 schools from the House has been passed with some bi-partisan cooperation. Governor Whitmer is not completely thrilled, but House Democrats were on board. Here to talk about the state budget are Ken Sikkema, a senior policy fellow for Public Sector Consultants and T.J. Bucholz the president of Vanguard Public Affairs.

Pontiac Mayor says no incentives were offered to Amazon, nor were they asked for, to develop former Silverdome site

• The site of the Pontiac Silverdome – the former home of the Detroit Lions – will be developed into an Amazon distribution center if the deal is approved. When Amazon was shopping for a site called HQ-2, cities and states were offering incentives to Amazon worth billions of dollars. Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman discusses Amazon's interest in the site, as well as how many jobs it will offer.

Not the UAW’s first rodeo: a look back at the union’s GM strike in 1945

• The United Auto Workers strike against GM is approaching a week. Strikes like these are nearly impossible to avoid as the balance of power between labor and industry maneuvers back and forth. The idea of equity between labor and industry is a fairly recent phenomenon, however. A major UAW strike in 1945 was the start of that change. That strike also resulted in the rise of Walter Reuther, who would become a major voice in the labor and civil rights movements. Elizabeth Faue, professor of history and head of the History Department at Wayne State University explores this instrumental strike. 

Young people across Michigan take to the streets to make voices heard on climate change

• Students and young people at different sites across the state are walking out of classrooms and work to strike. Around the world “climate strikes” are being held today to try to pressure the corporate world and governments to do more to reduce greenhouse gases that are causing climate change. Washtenaw International High School student Naina Agrawal-Hardin and Hannah Huggett, a student at Black River High School in Holland, organized efforts in their communities. They join us to explain why climate change is an urgent cause for the younger generations.

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