The future of Michigan’s minimum wage and the availability of sick leave for workers remains unclear after a Court of Claims ruling on Tuesday threw out 2018 legislation that weakened initial policies.
Related: Did Michigan’s minimum wage just increase to $12 an hour because of a court ruling?
Michigan’s legislature had passed proposals submitted by activists in 2018 to raise the minimum wage and require paid sick leave, only to water down those measures with new legislation months later. Judge Douglas Shapiro ruled that the tactic, considered “adopt and amend”, could not occur without an election between the two.
If the laws take full effect, Michigan’s minimum wage would drop from $9.87 to $12 an hour, tip wages would drop from $3.75 to $9.60 an hour, and workers would have to bank 72 hours of paid sick leave each year instead of 40.
The policies were not immediately enforced after Tuesday’s ruling and could be further delayed due to an appeal by attorneys to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office filed Wednesday.
State prosecutors want to prevent a sudden increase in minimum wage and paid sick leave because Michiganders ‘deserve predictability and stability’ in the statute of laws, they wrote in a court filing. call.
The Small Business Association of Michigan, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce said after Tuesday’s ruling that businesses already hit by inflation and supply chain issues would not be able to manage a sudden increase in wages and benefits.
Michigan’s Department of Labor, which would enforce the increases, told MLive on Wednesday it was reviewing next steps.
Michigan court rules state that a decision should not be enforced for 21 days, in this case Aug. 9. The lawyers who filed the stay want a court ruling by August 2.
Here’s more from Michigan’s Week in Politics:
US Representatives from Michigan, Tlaib and Levin, arrested while protesting for abortion rights
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, (left) and U.S. Representative Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township (right), are arrested while participating in a protest for access to abortion before the United States Supreme Court on Thursday, July 19.
Two of Michigan’s congressional delegates were arrested on Tuesday for protesting for abortion access outside the US Supreme Court, spokespersons for each of their campaigns confirmed.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township, were among a handful of House Democratic lawmakers and activists who were arrested on Tuesday, July 19, as they were blocking traffic between the courthouse and the US Capitol. building.
“I’m ready to do whatever it takes to protect abortion rights, even if it means being arrested,” Levin’s Twitter account posted shortly after the incident. “I joined my colleagues in the Democratic Women’s Caucus in a civil disobedience action before the Supreme Court. We won’t be going back!”
The protest comes less than a month after the United States Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case to effectively overthrow Roe vs. Wade and refer the question of the legality of abortion to the States.
After his arrest, the Tlaib campaign released a statement saying civil disobedience has “always been part of our history and our fight for change” and that “urgent action is what my people demand.”
Michigan House Dems want federal probe into GOP lawmakers for seditious conspiracy
Michigan House Democratic lawmakers want the US Department of Justice, including the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, to investigate 11 Republican lawmakers in Michigan for the crime of seditious conspiracy.
As part of a resolution introduced Wednesday, July 20, they cite an alleged strategy by former President Donald Trump to coordinate a “fake voter conspiracy” in seven battleground states to overturn the results of the election. 2020 presidential election. This includes Michigan, where five incumbent Republican lawmakers attempted to enter the state Capitol with fake voters while six other Republican representatives attempted to overturn the 2020 election results before the courts.
A draft copy of the resolution obtained by MLive says these representatives worked to “…undermine this fundamental tenet of democracy.”
“Through their efforts to nullify the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and delay the transition of power, they ‘conspire[d] overthrow… the government of the United States,” the resolution reads.
Whitmer signs record $76 billion state budget; tax break talks are ongoing
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signs Michigan’s biggest state budget Wednesday, July 20, 2022 on the grounds of Corner Ballpark, the former site of Tigers Stadium in Detroit. The budget totals nearly $76 billion in total, allocating record funding to students and emphasizing infrastructure spending. (Jake May | MLive.com)
Governor Gretchen Whitmer gave the final OK Wednesday to Michigan’s biggest state budget, totaling nearly $76 billion, which allocates record funding for students and emphasizes infrastructure spending.
The portion of the budget signed on July 20, House Bill 5783, at the Police Athletic League ballpark in Detroit totals approximately $54.8 billion.
Passing the legislature earlier this month, the government’s general budget touts several lofty numbers, including $130 million to invest in public safety and community policing resources; $6 billion for rebuilding local roads, repairing bridges, and improving airport/transit systems; $2.65 billion to reimburse public employee pension plans; and $300 million for economic and community development.
As part of the signing, Whitmer is also expected to veto more than $20 million in funding for pregnancy and adoption services, fearing it will limit a woman’s ability to choose abortion as means of family planning.
Lawsuit asking for Ryan Kelley to be kicked out of the ballot is dismissed
A Court of Appeals panel on Thursday rejected an attempt to have gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley thrown out of the race for his involvement in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Judge Michael Gadola wrote in a brief order that the complaint was filed too close to the election and was a procedural dismissal.
“We express no opinion as to whether Kelly has engaged in ‘insurrection or rebellion’ or whether Kelley is qualified to serve as a gubernatorial candidate as a result,” he wrote.
Kelley, who is in a statistical tie at four for the race lead, according to a poll released earlier this week, also faces four federal misdemeanor charges for his well-documented presence on Capitol Hill. He was arrested at his home by the FBI on June 6 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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