Lansing — The Michigan Supreme Court announced Wednesday it will hear arguments over whether a legislative maneuver that curtailed minimum wage and paid sick leave initiatives was legal.
An ultimate decision from the high court could result in changes to Michigan's minimum wage, which has been following a slower, stepped increase enacted by the Legislature in 2018 instead of a more aggressive timeline envisioned by the groups collecting signatures for the effort.
The Court of Appeals ruled in January that the Legislature's effort to "adopt and amend" the proposals in the same session in 2018 was legal. The appellate decision blocked a minimum wage hike ordered by a lower court judge that would have increased the state’s rate from $3 to $8 an hour.
Michigan's current minimum wage is set at $10.10 an hour.
The appeals court ruled in January that the then-Republican-controlled Legislature had the constitutional authority to adopt the minimum wage and paid sick time initiatives before they went on the ballot and to later make changes to them on the House and Senate floors within the same session.
The Michigan Supreme Court in its Wednesday order said it would examine whether the Legislature's maneuver was constitutional and, if not, whether those laws remain in effect or in what fashion they remain in effect.
The high court has not yet set a date for oral arguments in the case.The debate dates back to 2018, when Michigan One Fair Wage circulated petitions for a ballot...
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