UPDATE:
On Dec. 4, the bills gutting minimum wage and paid sick leave were passed by the House with some small changes, and then passed again by the Senate and sent to the governor for his signature. The changes to the paid sick leave bill made some small improvements in accrual time (one hour of paid sick leave for every 35 hours worked rather than 40), maximum hours accrued in a year (40 rather than 36), carryover (now allowed) and length of employment required for eligibility (90 days, same as ballot proposal).
However, the essential problem with this legislation remains: while the ballot proposal covered ALL full- and part-time workers, the bill sent to the governor continues to exclude the majority of Michigan workers (at least 55% will not be eligible for required paid sick leave under the bill), and employers’ vacation time and PTO policies will put them in compliance as long as they equal the number of hours mandated for sick time under the bill. These two aspects of the legislation gut the spirit and intent of the ballot proposal and make the new legislation unacceptable.
The governor signed both bills into law on Dec. 14.
Michigan residents have good reason to be cynical about our democratic process today, as House and Senate leadership continues its tradition of flouting accepted lawmaking practices during the “lame duck” season. Lame duck refers to the period after an election when term-limited, retiring or defeated lawmakers return to office before their successors take their seats.
First, fearing that popular ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage and establish paid sick time would be approved by voters, and thus need a three-fourths majority in each legislative chamber to be changed later, Republicans in September introduced the proposals in their exact form as legislative bills that would need only a simple majority to change. The bills were passed quickly in both chambers and became law.
Then, immediately after the election, the same Republicans introduced two bills that weakened the two new laws and set a hearing for those bills for this past Wednesday at 8:15 a.m. And finally, just minutes before Wednesday’s hearing, Republican leadership replaced those bills with substitute bills that hollow out the substance of the minimum wage and paid sick leave laws even further, leaving advocates and the public almost no time to read the bills before the hearing began. (As an advocate, it was frustrating to testify on a bill I had not even had a chance to read—but it was still necessary to speak up!) The full Senate passed the bills that afternoon, with only one Republican voting no.
Lame duck shenanigans are not new to this Legislature. Many readers probably remember how so-called “right to work” was rammed through during the 2012 lame duck season with no legislative hearings at all—flouting the long practice of holding hearings, adding amendments and receiving testimony from the public when taking up important and controversial bills. That scenario earned the nickname “shame duck,” as it was clearly a power play designed to thwart opposition and established democratic processes in order to achieve a partisan goal.
More important than the process, however, is what these proposed changes mean to low-paid workers. So let’s get down to the brass tacks and compare the current laws that were passed in September with the bills the Senate passed this week to change them:
Changes to Paid Sick Leave
The worst thing about the Senate-passed paid sick leave law is that it excludes nearly 55% of Michigan’s workforce, while current law covers all full- and part-time workers. The Senate also lowered the accrual rate from one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked to one hour for every 40 hours worked, and lowered the maximum number of earnable sick hours in a year from 72 to only 36.
Changes to Minimum Wage
The minimum wage schedule in current law raises the basic minimum wage to $12 by 2022 and it adjusts (raises) it for inflation each year afterward, but the new bill passed by the Senate doesn’t raise the wage to $12 until 2030 and does not adjust for inflation in the years after that.
For tipped workers, who receive a lower minimum wage with the idea that the difference between their tipped minimum wage and the basic minimum wage will be made up by tips, the current law phases out the separate tipped minimum wage and by 2024, tipped workers will be under the same minimum wage as all other workers. However, the bill passed by the Senate raises the tipped wage in small increments and does not eliminate it.
What You Can Do
Because these damaging bills have already passed the Senate, it is likely that they will be rushed through the House as early as Tuesday. It is very important that majority House Republicans hear from their constituents as soon as possible. If your member in the Michigan House of Representatives is a Republican, please call and email his or her office now and repeatedly over the next few days, and let the representative or their staff know that you want a “no” vote on the detrimental changes to minimum wage and paid sick leave coming up next week. Your Representative’s contact information can be found here.
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.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
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.
