ICYMI: Senator Peters Leads Annual Motorcycle Tour Across Michigan

DETROIT, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) led his annual motorcycle tour across Michigan this month to hear firsthand from Michiganders and highlight ways he is delivering for Michigan communities. Peters’ ‘Kalamazoo to the Soo’ tour made stops in Kalamazoo, Wyoming, Traverse City, Sault Ste. Marie, Grayling, and Sanford. In total, Peters rode more than 800 miles across Michigan on this year’s tour, and was joined by veterans, motorcycle safety advocates, union workers, and constituents. Peters is an avid and long-time motorcycle rider who founded the bipartisan Senate Motorcycle Caucus. 

WWMT CBS 3 Kalamazoo: Michigan Sen. Peters champions workers’ rights on 800-mile motorcycle tour 

“Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) has once again hit the road in his annual Motorcycle Tour across Michigan. 

“Spanning about 800 miles, the ride helmed by Peters, an avid motorcyclist, looks to ‘underscore the need to protect workers’ right to collectively bargain for the wages, benefits and job security they deserve,’ according to organizers. 

“Starting at Kalamazoo’s IBEW Local 131 Wednesday morning, Peters met with union workers and retirees to hear their concerns and what the U.S. Senate should be addressing. 

“‘The ride across Michigan that I do every year allows me to see firsthand what’s happening in communities across the state, how federal investments are making a difference,’ Peters said. ‘It’s a great opportunity to be out to talk to folks, and as an avid motorcyclist, as I do these meetings across the state, if I have to go from point A to point B, why not do that on a motorcycle,’ Peters said. ‘I’m blessed to be joined with a lot of other folks who enjoy your motorcycling as well as we travel across the state.’ 

“When asked what it takes to have a strong middle class in Michigan, Peters explained there needs to be a ‘strong union movement,’ citing that approval ratings for unions are the highest they’ve been since 1965. 

“‘People understand that being a part of a union is important for wages and benefits, and the ability to retire with dignity, and what we also see is that when unions are successful in their organizing drives, and then their collective bargaining and raise wages, that raises wages for everybody in the community as well,’ Peters said. 

“He continued, ‘We saw that with the UAW strike. UAW was very successful last year and what happened after the strike, other companies raised their pay because they needed to compete with those higher wages. That’s why unions are so important. That’s why it was important for me to start this tour here and hear directly from these union members who talk about what the union has done for them and their families.’” 

WMUK 102.1 FM Kalamazoo: Senator Peters kicks off Michigan motorcycle tour in Kalamazoo 

“Michigan Sen. Gary Peters and other riders took off from a Kalamazoo union hall Wednesday morning to begin his ninth annual state motorcycle tour. 

“Gary Peters rolled up with a posse of cyclists early Wednesday morning. But he wasn’t just there to show off his bike, he was there to talk about unions and other topics he plans to highlight on his Michigan tour. 

“Peters calls this year’s ride from Kalamazoo to Sault Sainte Marie the ‘Zoo to the Soo.’ 

“‘The ride across Michigan, that I do every year, allows me to see firsthand what’s happening in communities across the state, how federal investments are making a difference, as well as just hearing from folks as to concerns that they have.’ 

“Before he began his journey across the mitten, Peters spoke to a crowd at the Kalamazoo Branch of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. During the speech, Peters touched on the topics he planned to address during the tour. 

“One major focus was the importance of unions, which Peters said were key to a strong middle class. 

“Jonathan Current is with the IBEW. He said Peters’ pro-union message will be especially important for rural areas. 

“‘If you're a small-town worker, knowing that you have that right and how to how to protect it, that they're representatives out there, like me, who you can come and ask questions to on how to organize and how to hold a vote. That's essential.’ 

“In addition to Kalamazoo and Sault Sainte Marie, Peters will stop in Wyoming, Sanford and Traverse City. 

“‘I always say, if I have to go from point A to point B, why not do that on a motorcycle,’ Peters said.” 

WXMI FOX 17 Grand Rapids: Senator Peters embarks on 2024 motorcycle tour around Michigan

“Sen. Gary Peters set off on his annual motorcycle tour around Michigan Wednesday. He is expected to ride around 800 miles this week. 

“The tour began in Kalamazoo, and the National Guard’s Grand Valley Armory was one of his first stops. Peters raised close to $26 million last year to help the National Guard Bureau modernize its armories throughout the state. The goal is to ensure their facilities are equipped to support female National Guard members. 

“‘Back when these facilities were designed, women were not part of the National Guard,’ says Peters. ‘Now they represent nearly 20 percent, and in order to retain members as well as to recruit women into the service, it’s important to make sure that they have facilities that are equal to everyone else who is in the building.’”

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WPBN NBC 7&4 Traverse City: Senator Peters visits Traverse City to see progress of FishPass Project 

“Senator Gary Peters was on day two of his annual motorcycle tour Thursday, and he made a stop in Traverse City to see the progress of the FishPass Project. 

“The project will replace the Union Street Dam and reconnect the Boardman River to Grand Traverse Bay. Once it's complete, FishPass will sort and pass desirable fish through the dam and keep invasive species out. 

“Senator Peters highlighted the benefits the project will have on the Great Lakes’ ecology and fisheries. 

“‘Right now, you’re seeing the economic development of this construction and dollars coming in. But in the long run, to make sure that the Boardman River continues to be vibrant and healthy is just a tremendous value,’ Senator Peters said. 

“‘This is also going to be a research place for scientists to understand Great Lakes fisheries and it's going to be a learning place where students and others can come and visitors can come to see and learn more about the Great Lakes,’ Senator Peters said. 

“Senator Peters has secured $6.4 million in funding for the project.” 

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WLUC NBC 6 Marquette: Senator Gary Peters visits Soo Locks as new lock project continues 

“U.S. Senator Gary Peters visited Sault Ste. Marie Thursday afternoon as part of his annual motorcycle tour of the state. 

“Peters arrived in Sault Ste. Marie around 2:30 p.m., joined by 25 other riders. 

“This is Peters’ ninth year for his annual state-wide motorcycle tour. He visited the Soo Locks for a tour and update on the $3.2 billion project that would build a new Soo Lock. Peters, who is on the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure $450 million for that project. 

“If the budget is approved, the project can then begin phase three. Peters says there’s a strong chance the funding will come through. 

“‘I was able to insert it into the appropriations language, certainly there was some give and take behind the scenes but, we basically put it in the package and it was passed unanimously out of committee, so that bodes very well for us to get it through the Senate as well as to get it through the House and get it signed into law,’ Sen. Gary Peters, (D) Michigan, said.” 

“When trying to get funding for the Soo Locks project, Senator Peters explained there was a study done by the Department of Homeland Security that showed if the locks were shut down for any reason, it could negatively impact the entire U.S. economy. 

“‘They did a study to look at what the impact would be if for some reason the Locks were shut down, perhaps a terrorist attack or some other event that shut it down, what would that mean for the whole economy, and as a result of that study, they said within a matter of two or three months the U.S. economy would be severely impacted and shortly thereafter you could actually see the economy go into a recession,’ Peters said.” 

“Peters began this year’s statewide tour in Kalamazoo.” 

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Soo Leader: Sen. Gary Peters tours the Soo Locks expansion project 

“Sen. Gary Peters (D) visited the Soo Locks Thursday as part of his 9^th annual motorcycle trip across Michigan. 

“He was joined with around two-dozen other riders, including veterans, union workers, motorcycle safety advocates and constituents. The tour around the state started Wednesday in Kalamazoo and took him to Sault Ste. Marie Thursday afternoon. 

“Peters, who is on the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure $450 million for the Soo Locks expansion project in the fiscal year 2025 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. 

“If passed into law, the funding should allow the Army Corps to award construction for Phase III. 

“‘This is clearly a national security, national economic security issue,’ Peters said. ‘They did a study to look at what the impact would be if for some reason the Locks were shut down, perhaps a terrorist attack or some other event that shut it down, what would that mean for the whole economy, and as a result of that study, they said within a matter of two or three months the U.S. economy would be severely impacted, and shortly thereafter you could actually see the economy go into a recession.’ 

“‘It’s why we need the redundancies in the Locks and why we need to make sure these Locks are able to operate efficiently and know that the country is relying on them doing that.’ 

“Peters said that legislatures understand the importance of getting the funding to finish the project. 

“‘I was able to insert it into the appropriations language, certainly there was some give and take behind the scenes but, we basically put it in the package and it was passed unanimously out of committee, so that bodes very well for us to get it through the senate as well as to get it through the house and get it signed into law,’ Peters said.” 

WNEM CBS 5 Flint: Motorcycle tour promotes Sen. Gary Peters’ natural disaster bill 

“Sen. Gary Peters rolled into Sanford Friday afternoon, Aug. 9, in style on his motorcycle along with a host of other riders right beside him. 

“It’s another year of Kalamazoo to the Soo and this year, Peters is also promoting a special bill that would see a simpler process for people to sign up for federal disaster assistance. 

“What better place to stop than a community still trying to recover after a massive flood, caused by the Edenville and Sanford Dam failures, four years ago. 

“‘Shows that they’re paying attention to us, because I keep raising my hand and saying small towns need more help with this whole process,’ said Dolores Porte, the Village of Stanford president. 

“Peters ending his cross-state motorcycle tour in Sanford on Friday, highlighting a bipartisan bill that could help those affected by natural disasters – a bill that could pique the interest of many in the Sanford community. 

“‘Imagine yourself a homeowner, you just had your house destroyed, you need help from FEMA and other agencies, the last thing you want to be doing at that time is filling out a whole bunch of, sometimes, complicated questionnaires,’ Peters said. 

“‘That application process is grueling,” said Porte. ‘If you say FEMA to anyone, that’s what they talk about is how horrible the application process is.’ 

“A process that Peters is pushing to streamline. He’s promoting his Disaster Assistance Simplification Act. 

“It would establish a universal application process across all agencies, speeding up how soon resources could get to victims of natural disasters. 

“‘Right now, there are a number of federal agencies that can be there to help someone, and yet every single agency requires you to fill out an application,’ Peters said. 

“The President of the Midland Business Alliance, Tony Stamas, said a bill like this could really make the difference for small communities trying to rebuild. 

“‘Whether it’s an individual, whether it’s businesses, whether it’s organizations, having that assistance and having it in timely manner is just really critical,’ said Stamas. 

“Four years removed from the flood that devastated several communities in mid-Michigan, supporters of Peters’ bill are optimistic about its chances being signed into law. 

“‘We’ve got a bill that’s passed out of committee, it’s gotten passed out of the Senate, and we’re hoping to get it signed by the President as soon as we can,’ Peters said.” 

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WJRT ABC 12 Flint: Senator Gary Peters stops in Sanford to highlight disaster relief bill

“Peters started his ride in Kalamazoo, then made stops in Wyoming, Traverse City and Sault Saint Marie before concluding his tour in mid-Michigan.

“While at Sanford Village Park, he talked about the need to pass the bipartisan Disaster Assistance Simplification Act of 2023, of which he is a sponsor.

“He said it would help improve the process of applying for federal disaster aid to support communities suffering from floods and storms.

“Sanford and nearby communities were devastated by dam breaks and catastrophic flooding in 2020.”

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