LANSING — Business groups are pressuring lawmakers to reel in a minimum wage hike before Republicans lose control of the full Legislature for the first time in decades at year’s end.
The push comes as time runs out to make legislative changes before a court ruling takes effect on Feb. 20 to boost the minimum wage to $12 an hour from $9.87 an hour and require some previously exempt small businesses to offer paid sick leave.
The increase stems from a July ruling by Court of Claims Judge Douglas Shapiro that the state’s GOP-led Legislature violated the state constitution by quickly adopting and weakening two ballot initiatives on minimum wage and paid sick leave in 2018.
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Shapiro ordered the lawmakers to restore both laws to their original form. A hearing on an appeal is Dec. 13, but legislators can change the law before then during a “lame duck” session before Democrats take control of the House and Senate for the first time since the 1980s.
The minimum wage increase also would raise wages for tipped workers by 2024, allowing them to make at least $12 per hour, up from the current industry minimum of $3.75 per hour.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25. Michigan’s current minimum wage is higher than nearby...
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