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Workers are rejoicing, but sick time rules set to take effect in February have firms fearing a complicated ‘catastrophe.’ They want legislators to make changes, but Democrats may be reluctant.
Minimum wage workers and tipped employees face an immediate pay boost in February after a court ruling on Wednesday. Businesses say the effects could be dire; unclear is whether the Legislature will step in.
A Michigan Supreme Court ruling will likely raise the minimum wage to over $12 an hour in February and higher in future years, giving a raise to tens of thousands of workers. Business leaders called it ‘catastrophic.’
Michigan’s minimum wage is set to spike to $12 in February. Some business groups want Republicans to rein in the increase before they lose control of Lansing.
A Michigan Court of Claims judge struck down 2018 GOP amendments to paid sick leave and minimum wage initiatives. State attorneys are now seeking to delay enforcement during an appeal.
A victory for progressives, the ruling directs the state to immediately raise Michigan’s minimum wage from $9.87 to $12 an hour and eliminate a lower tipped wage for restaurant workers by 2024. It will likely be appealed.
Restaurant and direct care workers with no paid sick leave could increase coronavirus risk for Michigan, which currently exempts businesses with fewer than 50 workers from being compelled to offer paid leave.
The Court determined that it lacks jurisdiction to issue an opinion on the constitutionality of the “adopt and amend” strategy employed by Republican lawmakers in last year’s lame-duck session.
Does Michigan’s constitution allow the legislature to adopt and amend citizen initiatives in the same two-year term, or does it explicitly prohibit the practice? It’s now up to the state’s highest court to decide.
The high court is hearing arguments Wednesday on whether Republicans in Lansing acted lawfully in passing a paid sick leave bill last year before neutering it. The court may offer its opinion, or it may not, raising the specter of a formal lawsuit.
The sad irony is that the elected officials who gutted paid sick time for Michigan workers are salaried and get paid in full whether or not they show up to work.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said she will not write an opinion on last-minute GOP changes to wage and sick leave laws passed in December. Instead, she deferred to the state Supreme Court on whether the changes were constitutional.
The state’s high court will hear arguments in July on whether the Legislature followed the rules when it watered down the impact of citizen-drafted legislation to raise Michigan’s minimum wage and require employers to offer paid sick leave. But the court stopped short of saying it will issue an opinion.
Attorney General Dana Nessel and the state Supreme Court may yet weigh in on whether the Legislature violated the Michigan constitution in passing, then gutting, these laws during lame duck. The controversy may end in court.
Bad blood still remains after the GOP-controlled Legislature adopted citizen initiatives only to gut them later. Now, they want the Supreme Court to rule on whether lawmakers have that power.
A request from the Republican-majority Legislature would sidestep the traditional litigation process, and do an end-run around Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel.
