It’s not uncommon to hear individuals express reluctance to discuss politics with family members due to potential conflict arising from differing viewpoints. One topic that often sparks controversy is the minimum wage. People hold strongly opposing perspectives, with some taking a capitalistic stance and others embracing a more humanitarian approach.
Having a conversation about wage levels may not be the most comfortable topic, but it is an essential one. Wages have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, and it’s important to acknowledge this correlation. While some jobs may require higher pay, it doesn’t justify low wages for jobs that are in lower demand. The minimum wage law was created to ensure that all working adults could have a decent standard of living. Sadly, this objective was forgotten for a while. However, Michigan is one of the states that is taking the initiative to revive this crucial effort.
There is a common belief that individuals working in retail stores, grocery stores as cashiers or fast-food restaurants as burger flippers should not earn $15 an hour. However, this is not due to an opinion that these people are inferior, but rather a desire to keep money in their own pockets. The rationale behind this belief is that raising the minimum wage would lead to higher inflation, causing an increase in the cost of everyday items, which would ultimately cost them more money.
Although it is true that inflation has already had a significant impact on us due to the COVID-19 pandemic, raising the minimum wage to $15 should not make things much worse. In fact, the State of Michigan is planning to resume its minimum wage increase program and aims to achieve the $15 goal within three years.
In a recent decision, the Michigan Supreme Court has chosen to reinstate two ballot initiatives that were initially diluted but later adopted by the state legislature in 2018. The court has ruled in favor of reinstating both initiatives in their original form, but the changes won’t come into effect until February 21st, 2025. This delay will give businesses ample time to prepare for the upcoming changes in wages. As per the ruling, the first raise will set the minimum wage for the state of Michigan at $12.50.
Michigan’s current minimum wage stands at $10.33, which will witness an increase of $2.17 for the minimum wage workers. The tipped workers will also witness an increase in their wages as their lower wages will gradually be phased out, rising from $3.93 to approximately $6 next year. The state plans on eliminating the gap completely by 2029 and gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 by February 2028.
Michigan workers are about to witness a significant change in paid sick leave, alongside the changing wages. Employees working in businesses with less than 10 workers can now accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick leave, meaning they will earn 1 hour of paid sick leave after every 30 hours worked. On the other hand, bigger businesses must allow their workers to accrue up to 72 hours of paid sick leave, but no specific timeline has been defined yet.
