A version of this column originally appeared in Michigan Advance.
The Michigan League for Public Policy is deeply concerned about legislation that has already passed out of the Michigan House, which undermines a recent ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court and seeks to weaken earned paid sick time and minimum wage protections for working Michiganders.
To provide some context on how we got here, it’s important to look back at where this began. In 2018, Michigan voters were unjustly blocked from having their say on popular earned paid sick time and minimum wage proposals, which were polling at over a 70% approval rating. To stop the proposals from appearing on the ballot, the 2018 Michigan Legislature instead adopted them ahead of the election and later gutted them during that year’s lame-duck session.
After a long, six-year legal battle, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled last year that this adopt-and-amend scheme was unconstitutional. With that ruling, Michigan’s minimum wage is slated to be raised to $12.48 this February and will continue to annually increase, reaching almost $15 by 2028. The tipped minimum wage will also be raised to $5.99 next month and will continue to annually increase until it is brought above the subminimum level in 2030. Additionally, all Michigan employers will be required to provide their employees either 40 or 72 hours of paid sick time each year, depending on the number of workers they employ.
However, newly proposed legislation—House Bills (HBs) 4001 and 4002—is placing these urgently needed worker protections at risk of being significantly altered, yet again. These bills seek to reduce minimum wage increases over the next several years, resulting in a $1,000 to $2,400 annual pay cut for Michigan workers, while also maintaining subminimum tipped wages and exempting 96% of Michigan businesses—those with less than 50 employees—from providing paid sick time.
HBs 4001 and 4002 would move Michigan in the wrong direction in terms of strengthening economic security for workers and their families, addressing pay inequities, and safeguarding our state’s public health. They come at a time when the majority of Michiganders, including both Democrats and Republicans, have said they support the minimum wage and paid sick time changes set to take effect this February. They also come at a time when our state’s wages continue to lag behind the cost of living and public health continues to be jeopardized by a lack of basic paid sick time coverage for many workers.
The COVID-19 pandemic truly underscored the importance of paid sick time for all. Without it, many employees must choose to either go without pay or go to work sick. The provisions slated to take effect this February will allow all Michigan workers to take time off when they are sick without fear of experiencing financial hardship, while also reducing the risk of contagious illnesses spreading in workplaces, schools and public spaces. However, if HB 4002 passes in the Michigan Senate, these essential protections will be stripped away from nearly 1.5 million working Michiganders, placing workers, families and the general public in harm’s way.
Furthermore, Michigan’s minimum wage already falls far behind many other states, 17 of which have already passed a $15 minimum wage. These are not just states with large urban centers, but more rural states as well, such as Nebraska and Missouri.
Currently, Michigan’s minimum wage is only $10.56 an hour and, if HB 4001 passes in the Michigan Senate, it would not reach $15 for another four years. In comparison, the minimum wage schedule slated to go into effect this February will provide larger annual pay increases over the next several years and will get Michigan’s minimum wage to almost $15 sooner. As the cost of living continues to rise and looming federal cuts begin to harm household budgets, we need to be doing more, not less, to ensure Michigan workers and families are able to afford basic necessities, such as housing, food, utilities and healthcare. This includes the 41% of Michigan households that are already struggling to make ends meet.
Bringing tipped wages above the subminimum level is also critically important from both an economic security and equity standpoint. Contrary to what proponents of these bills have said, we only need to look to the seven states that have already established a single fair minimum wage to uncover strong evidence showing that tipped workers in these states have done as well as or better than tipped workers in states with subminimum tipped wages. And, given that Michigan currently has one of the widest gender wage gaps in the country and 74.3% of all tipped workers are women, the changes slated to take effect next month will go a long way in addressing ongoing pay inequities in our state, while ensuring all service industry workers receive more consistent wages that are not as contingent on the tips they make. This is especially important for tipped workers in smaller, rural communities where restaurants and bars may not have as large of a customer base as larger, urban communities.
When workers are healthier, better paid and less stressed, businesses thrive, communities prosper and our state becomes a stronger and more equitable place for all. We hope to see the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling upheld for the sake of workers, families, public health, local economies and our state as a whole.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Jacob Kaplan 
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
