LANSING, Mich., Feb. 17, 2022 — Today, members of the Michigan House Democratic Caucus joined a coalition of labor voices in downtown Lansing in support of the United Six — a group of electricians formerly employed by United Electric Contractors. In a lawsuit filed last month, the group alleges that UEC maintained a retaliatory and hostile work environment where racial slurs and discrimination against people of color were commonplace. They held the demonstration in front of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan’s Lansing office — the trade association affiliated with UEC. In support of the United Six and the protests, state Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy) issued the following statement:
“Equitable rights and treatment are something we have fought for and achieved throughout our history: this is another instance when we must stand in solidarity . While we have come a long way, the way in which members of the United Six were treated shows us we have much more work to do. Workers of diverse backgrounds and heritage add tremendous value to our economy and should not experience discrimination. I will continue to work to establish standards to safeguard dignity, respect and fairness for all of our state’s workers.”