Richard Mack, a labor and civil rights attorney at Miller Cohen, P.L.C., in Detroit, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss how his work in labor has led to his campaign for the Wayne State University Board of Governors.
Mack attended Wayne State Law School after undergraduate study at the University of Michigan and founded the Wayne State Journal of Law and Society. He is running on the Democratic ticket alongside civil rights attorney Sharif Akil in a statewide race for two open seats on the Wayne State University Board of Governors. His campaign has earned endorsements from IBEW Local 252, IBEW Local 58, AFSCME Michigan 925, the Michigan Federation of Teachers and the Michigan AFL-CIO. Mack's primary policy focus is graduation rates, which have risen from 26 percent to 60 percent over the past 15 years but remain too low for a university that is Michigan's top school and among the top 2 percent nationally for social mobility.
Mack also discussed the Trump administration's attacks on higher education funding, Pell Grant reductions and First Amendment threats to students and faculty. He connected his civil rights legal background to his intention to defend those rights in the boardroom.
- Wayne State University is an R1 research institution ranked 196th among public universities nationally and the number one school in Michigan for social mobility. The average student household income is approximately $70,000, and nearly half of its students are first-generation college students. Graduating from Wayne State adds approximately $30,000 to a graduate's income within five years, and because most graduates remain in Michigan, that income gain directly benefits the state's local economy, Mack said. Graduation rates have improved from 26 percent to 60 percent over the past 15 years, but Mack said that is still not high enough for a student population that is predominantly working full-time, raising families and navigating life challenges that students at most universities do not face.
- Mack reflected on the impact of the Detroit bankruptcy, in which city workers earning approximately $30,000 to $35,000 a year lost nearly 5 percent of their modest pension payments, averaging a couple of thousand dollars a month, and all of their retiree healthcare coverage between the ages of 50 and 65. Meanwhile, bankruptcy attorneys billed at rates ranging from $600 to $1,100 per hour. He could not celebrate the city's emergence from bankruptcy, given what those workers lost, he said.
- Mack and running mate Sharif Akil bring approximately 60 years of combined civil rights litigation experience to the campaign. Both candidates know how to win under the First Amendment and intend to bring that knowledge to the boardroom to protect students and faculty whose speech and civil rights are being threatened by the Trump administration's approach to higher education, he said.
Almost Three Decades on the Right Side of Labor
Richard Mack has been practicing labor and civil rights law at Miller Cohen PLC in Detroit for nearly 28 years. The firm's work is on the side of workers, and Mack's career has put him in the middle of some of Detroit's most significant labor fights, including the city's bankruptcy.
When Detroit filed for bankruptcy, city workers — many earning around $30,000 to $35,000 a year — faced pension cuts that stripped nearly 5 percent from modest monthly payments averaging a couple thousand dollars. More devastating, Mack said, was the loss of all retiree healthcare coverage for workers between the ages of 50 and 65, before Medicare eligibility. Tens of thousands of dollars in savings were wiped out. While those workers struggled, bankruptcy attorneys billed at rates ranging from $600 to $1,100 per hour, paid from the public treasury. As a Detroit taxpayer himself, Mack said he could not join in the celebrations when the city formally emerged from bankruptcy. The impact on city workers was too high.
He noted that what happened in Detroit was not unique. The same dynamic plays out in other cities, and the workers who bear the cost are always the ones who can least afford it.
Why Wayne State, Why Now
Mack decided to run for the Wayne State University Board of Governors — the governing body that functions as the legislative branch of the university's leadership — because of a deep personal connection to the institution. He earned his law degree from Wayne State after his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. While in law school, he founded the Journal of Law and Society. Wayne State, he said, is in his heart.
Two seats on the Board of Governors are open in this election cycle. Mack is running on the Democratic ticket alongside civil rights attorney Sharif Akil in a statewide race — meaning candidates run across all of Michigan, not just in Detroit. Both are civil rights lawyers. Mack said the combination of backgrounds he and Akil bring is directly relevant to what the university and its students need right now.
Endorsements for the campaign include IBEW Local 252, IBEW 58, AFSCME Michigan, the Michigan Federation of Teachers and the Michigan AFL-CIO. Mack said receiving that support after nearly 28 years of representing those unions was a humbling and meaningful moment.
The Case for Wayne State
Mack described Wayne State with the specificity of someone who has thought carefully about what makes it distinctive. It is one of four R1 research institutions in Michigan — the highest research classification — and is ranked 196th among public universities nationally. The average household income of its students is approximately $70,000, compared to over $300,000 at the University of Michigan. Nearly half of Wayne State's students are the first in their families to attend college.
The university ranks number one in Michigan and in the top 2 percent nationally for social mobility. A graduate of Wayne State adds approximately $30,000 to their annual income within five years. Because most graduates remain in Michigan, that income increase flows directly back into the state's economy. Mack framed this as an argument that all Michigan residents have a stake in Wayne State’s success, not just those in Detroit.
The Graduation Rate and What Needs to Change
Mack's primary policy priority is increasing graduation rates. Fifteen years ago, only 26 percent of Wayne State students who started a degree completed it within six years. The work of previous board leadership has pushed that figure to 60 percent — a significant improvement that Mack acknowledged while insisting it is still not good enough.
The reason the work is harder at Wayne State than at other universities is the nature of its student population. Many students are working full-time. Many are supporting families. Many are navigating financial pressures, housing instability, healthcare needs and other life challenges that students at more traditional universities do not face to the same degree. Meeting those students where they are — building the support systems, advising structures and financial bridges they need to stay enrolled and complete their degrees — is the work the board must prioritize, Mack said.
Higher Education Under Attack
Mack described the Trump administration's approach to higher education as an assault on multiple fronts. Federal funding cuts, reductions in Pell Grant funding, threats to students who are not citizens and pressure on universities over campus speech and faculty expression have created a hostile climate for institutions like Wayne State. He said the Trump administration does not believe in education and has consistently acted on that position.
Together, he and Akil bring approximately 60 years of civil rights litigation experience to respond. Both know how to win on First Amendment grounds in court. Their argument is that the same knowledge that has protected workers and individuals in courtrooms can now be used to protect students and faculty in the boardroom. The Trump administration will not darken the doors of Wayne State to frustrate the First Amendment rights of its students and faculty, Mack said.
More information on Richard Mack's campaign is available at richardmack4wsu.com. More information on Miller Cohen PLC is available at millercohen.com.
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