The state House has adopted bills to preemptively scale back paid sick leave and minimum wage laws before they take effect in less than a month. The bills are a response to a Michigan Supreme Court-ordered resolution after finding Republican legislators violated the state constitution in 2018 in an effort to dilute two petition initiatives.
The Republican-sponsored legislation passed Thursday would restore a lower minimum wage for workers who receive tips. Republicans, business owners and some tipped workers say that would reduce take-home pay if customers stop tipping.
Representative Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township ) said the court’s resolution to that case created big problems.
“So as I worked through that ruling and I believe many members of this House on both sides of the aisle did,” he argued, “it was easy to see that this was the proverbial freight train coming at small business and coming specifically at the tipped hospitality workers, restaurant employees, bartenders.”
But Representative Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) said that is not what would happen.
“It turns out that it is better for workers to receive a full wage with tips on top rather than a sub-minimum wage with tips on top,” he said.
One of the bills would also reduce the number of employers covered by the sick time initiative and tighten the notice requirements for workers to take sick time.
Supporters of the petition campaigns say Republican lawmakers acted in bad faith when they adopted the initiatives only to “gut” the laws afterward. They say the laws should be allowed to take effect as the petition campaigns intended.
“The majority of Michiganders support the increase in the state’s minimum wage laws, the elimination of the subminimum wage, and the implementation of paid sick leave for workers across the state,” said Progress Michigan Executive Director Sam Inglot.
The bills now go the Michigan Senate, which is controlled by Democrats. The Senate majority has also sponsored a package of legislation on the same topic.
“I believe we can achieve a balance that that ensures that workers have strong rights, employers are able to run their businesses, and that the spirit of the initiative petition – which received hundreds of thousands of signatures – is upheld,” said Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) in a statement sent to Michigan Public Radio. “… I will not rubber stamp a plan that takes sick leave away from a million Michiganders.”
