—
By AFSCME Staff
·
Monday, June 08, 2026
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State Employees Association (MSEA), an AFSCME affiliate, is demanding full transparency after two Michigan Department of Transportation workers were killed in a work zone crash near Lansing.
MSEA says the investigation must examine both the driver’s actions and whether MDOT followed the safety procedures meant to protect workers and motorists.
“MDOT management has a responsibility to make sure workers are not sent into dangerous conditions without the proper equipment, signage, staffing and traffic control procedures,” MSEA President Jacob VanSickle said. “This is not about excusing unsafe driving. It is about making sure the complete safety system is investigated.”
Bruce Wagner and Steve Spenle were public service workers who helped keep Michigan moving. Their deaths have left their families, co-workers and communities grieving.
“No one should go to work and not come home,” VanSickle said. “Bruce and Steve served the people of Michigan, and we owe it to them, their families and every worker still on the road to demand the full truth.”
MSEA is calling for a full review of the work zone, including whether employees were allowed to use proper safety equipment, whether an arrow board directed traffic away from the crew and whether signs warned drivers to slow down.
According to MSEA, the Michigan Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices makes clear that safety cannot be reduced simply because an operation is short term or mobile.
