Michigan's minimum wage would increase to $15 an hour by 2027 under a petition initiative submitted to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office Tuesday.
The Raise the Wage Michigan Ballot Committee's proposal would increase minimum wage in $1 increments over five years, starting at $11 in January 2023 and increasing to $15 by 2027.
The initiative also would require automatic adjustments for inflation every year after 2027.
It would end "sub-minimum wage" for tipped workers, for people younger than 20 or for people with disabilities. The sub-minimum wage would be phased out in steps until it reached parity with standard minimum wage Jan. 1, 2028.
"Every time we put this on the ballot in Michigan, every time we collect signatures, this is the most popular issue that exists in the state," said Saru Jayaraman, One Fair Wage president and co-founder. "Everybody overwhelmingly agrees people deserve to be paid a fair living wage when they work."
The group said the pandemic and ongoing battles with customers bucking COVID-19 mandates have driven many people away from minimum wage jobs. But a wage increase at the close of the pandemic could lure them back to those positions.
"The combination of having to enforce social distancing and mask rules on the very same customers from whom they had to get tips was the breaking point for thousands of restaurant workers," Jayaraman said.
The group says it has about half a million dollars in contributions set aside to launch the initiative...
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