Michigans GOP-led House is set to vote on legislation to alter changes to state sick leave, wage laws coming Feb. 21
Proposal would exempt more than 260,000 companies employing a collective 1.2 million workers 1 out of 3 in the state
Plan would also preserve tipped credit for restaurant workers and make other changes to pending minimum wage law
LANSING More than 260,000 companies collectively employing 1.2 million Michigan workers would be exempt from a pending paid sick leave mandate under legislation set for a likely vote this week in the state House. A court-ordered law, set to take effect Feb. 21, would require all Michigan companies to provide workers with at least 40 hours of earned paid sick time each year, or up to 72 hours for businesses with 10 or more employees. But legislation backed by new Republican leadership in the state House and approved last week by several Democrats in committee would exempt any company with fewer than 50 employees from the new rules. That means the vast majority of Michigan businesses would not be required to provide paid sick leave. As of last spring, 264,064 out of the 274,480 firms operating in Michigan had fewer than 50 employees, or about 96%, according to data from the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget.
Collectively, those companies employed roughly one 1 of every 3 Michigan workers 1,207,207 in total. The paid sick leave mandate, along with pending increases to the state's minimum wage, were first proposed as part of a 2018 petition drive that lawmakers quickly weakened that same year but the Michigan Supreme Court reinstated last summer. House Republicans leading the charge to change the laws again contend the rules would be unworkable for many Michigan companies, who have warned they may have to raise their prices or go out of business altogether.