On July 19, 2022, the Michigan Court of Claims held that two voter-initiated laws that were passed and later amended by the state legislature in 2018 should be restored. If the decision stands, the minimum wage in Michigan will increase to $12.00 per hour, tipped employees will need to be paid the regular minimum wage by 2024, and employers of all sizes will be required to provide Michigan employees with one hour of paid sick leave per 30 hours worked, up to 72 hours per year.
Article 2, Section 9 of Michigan Constitution allows Michigan voters to initiate legislation via petition. If a petition receives enough signatures, then the state legislature may enact the proposed legislation “without change or amendment.” If the legislature does not enact the legislation without change or amendment, then the proposed legislation is placed on the ballot in the next general election. If the proposed legislation is approved by the voters, then it cannot be repealed unless 75 percent of the State House of Representatives and the State Senate vote to repeal.
In 2018, two petitions received enough signatures and were sent to the legislature. The first, known as the “Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act,” raised the minimum wage in Michigan to $12.00 per hour by 2022, with upward adjustments for inflation each year thereafter, and gradually increased the tipped minimum wage to match the regular minimum wage by 2024. The second, titled the “Earned Sick...
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