Michigan Workers Win
Minimum-Wage Increase,
Paid Sick Leave
MICHIGAN (PNS) - 8/20-2022 - Workers in Michigan won major victories recently as a
minimum-wage increase and employer paid sick time program were
reinstated by court order.
In 2018, petitioners succeeded in placing a minimum-wage increase along with an earned-sick-time provision on the November ballot.
In turn, the Michigan Legislature passed the measures in September to
avoid a vote on the referendums, then in a lame-duck session in December
the Legislature amended the bills, delaying the wage increase and
denying the full hourly rate to tipped workers. The sick-time provision
also was changed.
Last month, a Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled amending the original bills was a violation of the state constitution, and the $12 minimum wage will now be instituted in February.
Alicia Renee Farris, chief operations officer of Restaurant
Opportunities Centers United, helped organize the ballot initiative and
is calling it a victory for Michigan workers.
"This is really a victory for 685,000 Michiganders that do not make $12
an hour," Farris asserted. "We see that as very important particularly
for low-wage restaurant workers."
The minimum wage for tipped employees is set to gradually increase to $12 per hour by 2024.
After Judge Douglas Shapiro declared the adopt-and-amend legislative
maneuver unconstitutional, the State of Michigan asked for a stay
pending appeal. Shapiro denied the request but did delay implementation
until Feb. 19.
Mark Brewer, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said the delay is due to the scale of the coming changes.
"This is a massive change. The paid sick time affects every employer in
the state," Brewer pointed out. "Minimum wage obviously affects many
employers and hundreds of thousands of employees, so the court said,
'Look, you can have a few months to make a transition here to fully
implement these laws.' "
Litigation over the matter has not ended with the Court of Claims
ruling, since the state of Michigan will next take its case to the
Michigan Court of Appeals. Brewer noted the appeals court has agreed to
speed things up.
"We did get some good news in just the last 24 hours," Brewer
emphasized. "The court of appeals has agreed to expedite our appeal, and
so we're hopeful to have oral argument in the court of appeals this
fall, which would mean a decision early next year."
Upon implementation, the minimum wage will be indexed to inflation with
adjustments made annually so long as the state unemployment rate remains
below 8.5%.
Ballot initiative Ballotpedia 2018
Ruling State of Mich. Court of Claims 07/19/2022
Credit: Story published courtesy of Public News Service.
