NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e Sp
FEBRUARY 12, 2025 candgnews.com
Macomb County and Grosse Pointe papers
PRESSES TO STOP AT PRINTING PLANT IN AUGUST BY NICK POWERS
LEFT: The Sterling Heights Operation Facility, its Metro Parkway entrance shown here, is set to close in August.
npowers@candgnews.com
Photo by Nick Powers
STERLING HEIGHTS — The printing plant on the corner Mound Road and Metro Parkway, which has been cranking out papers since the early 1970s, is set to shutter in August. A Jan. 21 Detroit Free Press announcement states that the Sterling Heights Operation Facility runs 250 press jobs on a weekly basis, ranging from regional dailies to national publications like the New York Times. The approximately 700,000-square-foot building sits on about 40 acres of land. Shuttering the plant eliminates 115 jobs. On Aug. 3, the last papers will roll off the presses. A photo in the Sterling Heights Public Library’s digital collection shows construction being done on the plant in 1971. The Evening News Association, which owned the Detroit News at the time, constructed the facility for $42 million. The description mentions that the facility, then called the Detroit News North Plant, was up and running by 1976. Both The Free Press and The Detroit News are printed at the Sterling Heights facility. Gannett has controlled the business side of The Free Press and The Detroit News through a Joint Operating Agreement since 1987. The JOA is set to expire this December. The two papers have separate ownership: MediaNews Group owns The Detroit News and Gannett owns The Free Press. Other Michigan newspapers owned by MediaNews Group, including the Macomb Daily, are also printed at the plant. Gannett sold the property to Ohio-based Industrial Commer-
BELOW: This photo shows the Sterling Heights Operation Facility when it was first being constructed in 1971. The plant is set to close in August.
Photo provided by Suburban Library Cooperative and the Sterling Heights Library
See PRINTING on page 4A
Legislators work to alter wage and sick leave changes BY NICK POWERS npowers@candgnews.com
METRO DETROIT — Drastic changes to Michigan’s paid sick leave and minimum wage will go into effect Feb. 21. Both of Michigan’s major political parties are currently trying to rein in these efforts in the Legislature. Republicans hold a majority in the state House of Representatives, and Democrats hold a majority in the state Senate. This month Republicans passed a pair of bills in the House, and Democrats in the Senate have an alternate plan in its early stages. The whole issue began in 2018, when two petitions for
increased wages and paid sick time received enough signatures to get on the ballot. To block this, the petitions were adopted and amended by Republicans in the state Legislature, dramatically changing what would’ve appeared on the ballot. In the Michigan Court of Claims, it was determined on July 19, 2022, that the adopted and altered acts were unconstitutional. This was reversed by the Michigan Court of Appeals but was ultimately upheld by a 4-3 Michigan Supreme Court ruling July 31, 2024. The current minimum wage is $10.33, or $3.93 for tipped workers.
If nothing happens
If the revisions by Republicans or Democrats are not made, the court’s ruling will go into effect as planned in February. All workers will receive a pay bump to $12.48 an hour this year, with tipped workers gradually reaching $12 in 2029. The final amounts will be determined by the state’s treasurer. All employees, including part-time and temporary workers, are entitled to paid sick leave. Every 30 hours an employee works generates one hour of paid sick leave. Employees get 72 hours paid sick time per year at larger companies. However, employers with fewer than 10 employees See WORKERS on page 8A