Advocates urge Michigan Legislature not to roll back paid sick leave law

Yahoo

29-01-2025

State Senators Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) and Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), address a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
On Wednesday, Mothering Justice hosted a press conference and rally on the Michigan State Capitol steps denouncing proposed cuts to the Earned Sick Time Act.
With temperatures in the 30s and the sun struggling to peek out from behind the clouds, the nearly 100 supporters in attendance were focused on keeping intact a Michigan Supreme Court decision last summer that the then-GOP-controlled Legislature acted unconstitutionally in 2018 when it adopted and then gutted citizen-led ballot initiatives to increase Michigan's minimum wage and create sick leave requirements for employers.
'As a mom and of a disabled child and son, I know what it is like to not have a single paid sick time, and I know what it's like for families like mine to care for children with disabilities,' said Aisha Wells, deputy director of organizing at Mothering Justice. 'The flexibility to take time off for medical emergencies is not a luxury. It is a necessity for our children's survival.'
Michigan business owners, workers and lawmakers rally to save tipped wages
The court's ruling set a Feb. 21 deadline to implement the ballot initiative reforms including increasing the state's minimum wage to $15 by the start of 2028 and eventually eliminating the tipped minimum wage by 2030 so that all workers, regardless of classification, earned a uniform minimum wage. It would also require employers with fewer than 10 employees to offer up to 40 hours of paid sick leave and 32 hours of unpaid leave while businesses with 10 or more employees must offer a full 72 hours of paid sick leave.
Since that decision, however, hundreds of business owners and service industry workers have lobbied lawmakers to preserve the tipped wage credit and reverse the sick leave changes before they take effect.
House Bills 4001 and 4002, which passed the GOP-led House last week, would undo much of what is set to go into effect on Feb. 21, when the minimum wage will increase to $12.48 an hour, increasing in phases to $14.97 by 2028.
However, the Republican-sponsored legislation would keep the tipped wage at 38% of the state minimum wage, while delaying by almost a year the proposed increases to the minimum wage, so that instead of reaching $14.97 by Feb. 21, 2028, it would increase to $15 at the start of 2029. Additionally, the wage rate for employees under 18 would drop from 85% to 75% of the minimum wage.
As for paid sick leave, the proposed legislation would exempt employers with 50 employees or less from the new requirements, while eliminating language that would permit employees to take civil action if their employer violates the law.
'Almost 1.5 million workers in Michigan do not have access to a single day, but guess who does have sick time? Lawmakers. Guess who else has sick time? Corporations. But who doesn't have sick time is almost 1.5 million Michigan families,' said Wells. 'Sick time is a win-win solution. Beyond being a worker friendly policy, it improves workforce productivity, reduces turnover, and creates stronger community ties for businesses. We need to fight back.'
Mothering Justice called on Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) and fellow Democratic Sens. Kevin Hertel (D-Saint Clair Shores), and Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown Twp.), to heed their constituents' concerns and not water down the scheduled increases.
Hertel, Camilleri, and Singh are the sponsors of legislation that would essentially try to split the difference between the scheduled changes and the GOP legislation.
Together, Senate Bills 6, 7, and 8, would accelerate the increase of Michigan's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027, while keeping the tipped credit at 38% for the remainder of 2025, then gradually increasing and capping it at 60% over 10 years. They would also allow workers to file anonymous complaints against employers, while prohibiting the misclassification of workers as 'independent contractors,' preventing a wage being paid that is lower than the legal minimum.
Senate Bill 15 would raise the definition of a small business from less than 10 employees to less than 25 employees. Those small businesses would then have to provide employees with 40 hours of paid sick leave and 30 hours of unpaid sick leave at the beginning of the year, instead of the 40 hours of paid leave and 32 hours of unpaid leave accrued through the year. It would also provide employers the option to provide workers a minimum of 72 hours of paid earned sick time at the beginning of a year.
All four Democratic bills have been referred to either the Senate Labor Committee or the Committee on Regulatory Affairs, where no dates have been set to take testimony and potentially pass them on to the full Senate for a vote.
State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), who co-sponsored two of the bills, spoke at the rally, and said the need for the earned sick time reforms was long past due, not just for the benefit of workers, but also employers.
'It's so, so clear that people should not have to make that choice between taking care of themselves, taking care of a loved one, or being able to pay their rent, and so making sure that people have earned paid sick time is so important, not just for families and not just for workers, but also we know that from the states and cities that already have had earned paid sick time, that actually this is a policy that's good for business as well,' said Chang.
'When we think about worker productivity, being present on the job, not having to retrain workers over and over, this is actually something that is good for business.'
State Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) criticized the last-minute wrangling in the Legislature.
'The Supreme Court of Michigan gave the business community, the Legislature, six months to figure out how to implement what should have happened back in 2018 the right way,' she said. 'The hard work of the people who you've all heard from, many of the folks are out there, this is a very important initiative. This is important to a lot of those who stand fighting for our families, when you need to take that time to care.'
Aisha Wells, deputy director of organizing at Mothering Justice, addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
A supporter of increases in earned sick time rallies at the Michigan Capitol. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
A supporter of increases in earned sick time rallies at the Michigan Capitol. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Dr. Bridget Leanord addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Sarah Freudenberg, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran in Livonia, addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Karrington Kelsey addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Supporters of increases in earned sick time rally on the Michigan Capitol steps. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Kelly Miller, volunteer coordinator at Focus Hope, addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Supporters of increases in earned sick time rally on the Michigan Capitol steps. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Chris White, director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan, addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Supporters of increases in earned sick time rally on the Michigan Capitol steps. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
State Senators Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) and Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), address a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Monique Stanton, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
La Donna Spight addresses a rally on Michigan Capitol steps supporting increases in earned sick time. Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Jon King
Another speaker at Wednesday's rally was Monique Stanton, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy. She told the Michigan Advance afterward that the Michigan Supreme Court decision should stand as is.
'The legislation that was drafted with the ballot initiative in 2018 is the right legislation, and that's what we want to see enacted,' said Stanton. 'Michiganders are struggling. They're struggling with all kinds of things right now and people need protections to be able to take care of themselves and their families, and this is not the time to make these kinds of cuts.'
Chris White is the director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan, which filed the lawsuit that led to the Michigan Supreme Court decision. He told the Advance that changing the measures now is a slap in the face of the democratic process.
'What does it say, for a group of individuals that petitioned in 2018 and then went to court and did everything the right way, only to have it set back? That's not good policy,' he said. 'The bills that they have introduced sets back wages at a time when the cost of eggs is going up, the cost of gas is going up. If the cost of living goes up, the wages must increase. That's just common sense at that point.'
White pointed to recent polling that shows a majority of Michiganders, including Republicans, support the wage and sick time changes.
'Fifty-one percent of Republicans support this,' said White, referencing a poll conducted by Progress Michigan. 'So we're concerned that the [Republican Party] is going up against what they even support. 80% of Democrats support this. So this is bipartisan support for the changes and this is bipartisan support for a stronger workforce, a stronger Michigan. So, we're not gonna stand here and let rumors, astroturf campaigns, and any of that get in the way of the change that is coming and this change is for all Michigan residents, and this change will make our state a stronger state.'
As advocates gathered in front of the Capitol, Republicans in the Michigan Senate were also discussing the issue, angry that majority Democrats had yet to advance the House legislation for a vote.
'This should have been addressed long ago, and it's been incredibly frustrating to watch this chamber do nothing, even though the jobs of thousands of Michigan workers are on the line,' said state Sen. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) during the Senate session. 'We are running out of time. Workers, particularly servers in the restaurant industry and small businesses, are begging we take action to save their jobs. I call on the Senate to approve House Bills 4001 and 4002, as soon as possible. These bills preserve the tip credit sustainably, continue to raise the minimum wage and continue to provide common sense and workable earned sick time.'
Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, said the group expects Michigan lawmakers to take action to prevent what they believe will result in an economic calamity for restaurants and other eateries.
'We don't need to repeat the mistakes of other regions. Washington, D.C., is already seeking to reverse course on tip credit elimination after losing 4,000 restaurant jobs. Michigan has the opportunity to learn from their costly mistake and act before we inflict the same damage on our own hospitality industry. The House has shown leadership by passing HB 4001 — now the Senate must do the same before it's too late,' said Winslow.
Advance reporter Kyle Davidson contributed to this story.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX