Bill to help veterans find work promoted at SVSU meeting of politicians, business leaders and vets

KOCHVILLE TOWNSHIP, MI -- Veterans in Saginaw and Bay counties and across the state could have an easier time finding work if proposed legislation to encourage small businesses to hire them is passed.

Legislative Democrats, area veterans, business leaders and Saginaw Valley State University officials gathered Monday, Feb. 23, at SVSU to discuss the Hire MI Heroes Act recently introduced in the Senate and soon to be introduced in the House.

The legislation would create a tax incentive for small businesses that hire unemployed veterans. The one-time tax incentive would be equivalent to 25 percent of the veteran's annual compensation, up to $4,000. Businesses employing up to 100 people would qualify.

Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, state Rep. Vanessa Guerra, D-Bridgeport Township, Mike Major, director of career services at SVSU, Denise Berry, director of military student affairs at SVSU, David Maczik, president and owner of The Standing Co., Valarie Johnston, human resource manager of Hausbeck Pickle Co., and others met to discuss the challenges unemployed veterans face and the affect the legislation could have.

Maczik is a small business owner and a veteran. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve from 1964 to 1970.

Maczik said The Standing Wheelchair Co. in Bridgeport Township, which manufactures SuperStand wheelchairs, employs about 15 people, three of whom are veterans. He aims to hire one or two more veterans.

Unlike a traditional wheelchair whose user is in a seated position, the SuperStand wheelchair allows the user to stand while still supported. Maczik said the standing wheelchair "levels the playing field" because some jobs are more difficult to do or even impossible to do sitting down.

"Our product is very applicable for injured veterans," Maczik said. "If somebody leaves the service with a spinal chord injury, being able to stand up would make their life healthier, it would make it easier for them to get a job, it would make it easier for them to be more independent."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 31,000 of the state's nearly 650,000 veterans are unemployed, a news release announcing the discussion states. In 2013, Michigan had the second-highest veteran unemployment rate in the nation at 10.6 percent, four percentage points above the national average for veterans. Among Michigan's post-9/11 veterans, the unemployment rate was 13.5 percent in 2013, more than 4 percent higher than the national rate.

Maczik said the proposed Hire MI Heroes Act could help turn that around.

"(It) would help make it easier for other employers to hire veterans because there are a lot of veterans with good skills. And it's difficult today to get a job even if you're not a veteran or not disabled."

James Lang, 30, of Carrollton Township, is a sophomore at SVSU studying professional and technical writing and communication. He's also a veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force from 2008 to 2012.

"I worked one job before deciding to go back to college but, when I was searching for a job, it was pretty hard finding employment to support myself," Lang said.

His job search spanned about six months. He estimates he applied for 20 positions.

"Not all of them were ones I totally desired, but, I mean, I needed employment," he said.

Eventually, Lang got a part-time job working as a mental health worker for HealthSource Saginaw. He worked there for about a year and a half, but knew he wanted to do something different.

Now that he's a full-time student at SVSU and working for Berry, the university's director of military student affairs, he'll be transitioning from part time to on-call status at HealthSource.

"Luckily for me, SVSU has an awesome military program," he said.

Lang knows other veterans who also struggled to find work.

"Most of my friends, I think, they had difficulty finding jobs, and then that's why they went the college route," he said.

Lang said the proposed legislation seems to be a step in the right direction.

"Any extra incentive that we can give an employer to hire us is great," he said. "Being able to say, 'Are you aware of, you know, some of the benefits you can get if you do choose to go with me?' is great. I hope it helps."

When asked about the advantages of employing veterans, Maczik replied, "They have a history or experience of listening, following orders, having a task and a mission and accomplishing that mission. So, that's always important. Somebody that can keep their eye on the goals."

Guerra said Hire MI Heroes is a "win-win for all of us."

"It's a win for our veterans because they are skilled and they are hard workers and they have a reputation for being such," she said. "And it's good for small businesses because if we can provide this tax incentive to hire these employees then it's good for them. It's good for them, it's good four veterans, and it's good for our economy as a whole."

She added, "With the governor's budget coming out, there's all this talk about tax incentives being bad. I think, that's not really where the message is. The message is that some of them are very good and they do great things, such as this tax incentive."

When it comes to supporting veterans, Ananich said, Michigan has made some gains, but there's more to do.

"We're looking to hear some ideas about how to help veterans transition (from) military service into civilian life," he said.

State Rep. Charles Brunner, D-Bay City, wasn't able to participate in the discussion because he had another engagement, but said the proposed legislation is worth considering.

"I don't have a problem with giving veterans somewhat of a leg up in assuring that they get a job when they have made the tremendous sacrifice that they've made for us ... going away from their home and family and putting themselves in harm's way for, really, not very much pay," Brunner said. "It's just a tremendous sacrifice that veterans make."

"(If) it can give them a leg up for employment, I think it's a good thing and it's certainly worth taking a look at."

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