- The House Select Committee on Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses heard testimony from neighbors all over the state on how the minimum wage and earned sick time laws will impact them.
- Servers, Bartenders and Small Business Owners say the laws will hurt their livelihoods and increase costs on customers.
- Proponents of the bills say it will help workers achieve a higher wage and earned sick time.
- The committee will meet again Thursday to vote on the bills.
Jackson Neighbor Amy Covert says serving at Buffalo Wild Wings provides a home for her four children.
"I average 40 dollars an hour," Covert said.
But with minimum wage and earned sick time laws set to take effect February 21, she says that could change for her.
"The idea that 15 dollars an hour is a livable wage for servers is a joke," Covert said.
Neighbors from all over the state filled a House committee room in downtown Lansing, making their voices heard on bills that would make changes to the laws.
The laws, going into effect after a Supreme Court decision in July, would increase the minimum to 15 dollars by 2028 and tipped workers would receive full minimum wage by 2030.
During my continued coverage of this issue, neighbors say this might leave them with smaller paychecks as they fear customers will stop tipping as much and businesses will increase prices to offset the difference.
"We're upping the cost of their burger from 15 dollars to 20 dollars and then we're still going to expect them to tip on top of that when they already know we're already making what they know a livable wage," Covert said.
And employers would have to provide 3 days on sick leave for workers.
"This increases forced overtime, decreases morale, and begins a vicious cycle of employees calling out last minute just to get the day off," a 9-1-1 Director said.
One Fair Wage, the organization the brought the ballot measure forth in 2018, say keeping the law the same means employers would provide workers their wages but customers, saving them from harassment.
"The system where most of our income comes from tips is one where we have to put up with immense amounts of harassment," a representative said.
And the laws don't just impact small businesses and servers around Michigan.
"We believe all workers benefit when they have access to sick leave and when their wages go up," a neighbor said.
And with a little over a month to go before the new law takes effect, lawmakers need to decide quickly if they want to make changes.
The committee will meet again Thursday to vote on the bills.
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