Unemployed workers demand good-paying jobs, while a Saginaw County company prepares to announce a major investment.
Thursday afternoon, members of the We Are the People Coalition rallied near a structurally deficient bridge crossing Swan Creek demanding lawmakers to invest in Michigan's roads and bridges, which would create jobs.
Meanwhile, Friday, Governor Rick Snyder will attend a major announcement at Nexteer Automotive in Buena Vista Township.
NBC25 spoke with Emory Hurston and Aaron Dennis who live near the plant. They've been trying to get jobs at Nexteer for years. They're factory workers who put the time in when it's available, which is sometimes only two hours a day.
"Just got to hang in there. These are tough times for everybody," says Hurston.
The Buena Vista High School graduates never left the area.
Emory has a degree in criminal justice, but the jobs just aren't here.
Friday afternoon, Nexteer Automotive says it will announce a major investment in its Saginaw operations citing an increase in customer demand.
"Whatever money they make, basically it's going to the community," says Dennis.
That's because Nexteer invests in the BV Community Center where Aaron and Emory work out.
The company also supports surrounding businesses.
BV Manager Bregitte Braddock says, "To hear that they have a huge, big announcement is exciting."
Exciting, because Braddock worked at the Nexteer site for more than 20-years.
She remembers the uncertainty when former owner Delphi went bankrupt, then sold to Nexteer.
While she doesn't know the details behind the announcement, she says any good news from BV's number one employer is welcome. "It sounds like a big investment, and we're excited."
"It's a sense of hope," says Hurston. It gives people a chance to get the economy going and give the community hope."
