LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan House Republicans introduced the first bills of the year which aim to restore the tipped wage for service workers and fix the Earned Sick Time Act before a Feb. 21 deadline threatens to upend the system.

The clock is ticking.

House Bills 4001 and 4002 must move through committee and to the floor as soon as possible. The Republicans are working against the clock as the Feb. 21 date for implementations of those new changes loom. That’s when a raise in the minimum wage and the elimination of tips for service workers is set to go into effect if the legislature does not act.

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The change stems from last year’s Michigan Supreme Court ruling that authorized the changes by striking down an “adopt and amend” maneuver from lawmakers in 2018.

The bipartisan Select Committee on Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses.

Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown) is one of nine Republicans and six Democrats on the House Select Committee on Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses that will hold hearings on these bills starting next week.

“I don’t think Republicans expected the Michigan Supreme Court to legislate from the bench,” Rep. Thompson told Michigan News Source. “After hearing from people in the industry and how much they disapproved of this really opened everyone’s eyes.”

Rep. Parker Fairbairn (R-Harbor Springs), who is also on the committee, is stunned that every Republican and Democrat isn’t on board with these bills since it impacts restaurant workers in every single legislative district. “The real shock to me is why this hasn’t been more bipartisan,” Rep. Fairbairn said in an interview with Michigan News Source. “[An estimated] 40,000-60,000 restaurant jobs will be eliminated if this doesn’t get solved.”

In addition, Rep. Fairbairn said he learned that 71% of tipped servers earn well over the minimum wage. “On average, that number is over $25 per hour,” he said. “Our servers like the compensation plan they have now and don’t want to see that changed.”

Similar Senate legislation.

The Michigan Senate, which has a Democratic majority, has introduced its own version of House Bills 4001 and 4002. “We may butt heads on specifics,” Fairbairn said. “We need to make sure everything is reinstated and ultimately I think they will get our version of it.” Whatever is in the final bill must pass both the House and Senate to move to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for her signature.

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Committee hearings are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 14 with the bills expected to hit the House floor the following week. Rep. Thompson said the committee hearings give everyone in the industry a chance to have their voices heard.
“We are going to make sure you that you are okay and that you continue to thrive,” she said.

Clear communication is key.

If the bills pass both chambers, they will head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for her signature and immediate effect.  Rep. Thompson said the next step is getting the correct messaging to the people impacted by this bill.

“There’s so much legislation put into place that never has direct messaging or clear instructions about the people that law affects,” she said, referencing the recently implemented safe storage laws. She said the laws were signed but gun shop owners were still confused over the specifics of the implementation. “We’ve got to get better at that,” she said.