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LANSING — GOP lawmakers stormed out of the Michigan House of Representatives Friday in a protest they hoped would force Democrats to put up for a vote bills preempting changes to the state’s minimum wage and paid sick leave law. In Republicans’ absence, Democrats passed a slew of legislation, and leaders from both sides of the aisle capped the dramatic day accusing one another of political gamesmanship.
Minority Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, announced Republicans’ decision to walk off the House floor early Friday afternoon during a press conference surrounded by his GOP colleagues wearing “SAVE MI TIPS” buttons in response to the looming changes to the minimum wage that will eventually eliminate the state’s lower tipped minimum wage for restaurant servers and bartenders — expected to make the bulk of their pay in tips — unless lawmakers take action.
The new law would not prohibit customers from continuing to tip restaurant workers. The changes to the minimum wage and sick leave laws slated to take effect next year were made by the Michigan Supreme Court. “This is a court-forced crisis,” Hall said.
One House Republican — state Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, who was dressed up as Santa Claus — attached his “SAVE MI TIPS” pin to his red hat. But the atmosphere in Lansing during the rare Friday House session lacked any kind of holiday cheer.
House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, called Republicans’ actions “shameful” and said they were failing to do the job voters in the state elected them to do as their representatives.
Republicans made good on their promise not to show up for a vote Friday unless Tate put up bills to keep negotiations on the minimum wage and paid sick leave laws alive.
While Republicans were gone, Democrats passed dozens of bills on issues ranging from online sexual harassment to child labor. A few bills would make major changes to public employees’ benefits. One would open up a more generous retirement benefit to newly hired school teachers while another would enable corrections officers to opt into the Michigan State Police’s retirement plan. But they didn’t muster enough votes to pass a homeless bill of rights when it was put up for a vote.
At one point they stopped to sing “Happy Birthday” in celebration of Tate turning 44 years old. When the Free Press asked Tate after lawmakers finished singing what he wants for his birthday, Tate laughed and responded, “good government.”
Democrats adjourned after 10 p.m. Friday evening with both Tate and Hall expressing disappointment with how Friday’s session transpired and indicating negotiations over the labor issues appeared dead. The House is currently scheduled to convene for the last time this year next Thursday and the Senate is scheduled to hold its final session day Dec. 23.
During the lame duck legislative session currently underway, Democrats have a short window of opportunity to send bills opposed by Republicans to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.
After winning a majority of House seats in the November election, Republicans chose Hall to take the speaker’s gavel starting next year, ushering in a new era of divided government. The Senate will still be controlled by Democrats at the start of the next session.
Hall also called for movement on funding road repairs in Michigan, noting that conversations on roads, the minimum wage and paid sick leave have seemed to stall out. “I think we’ve come to that point,” Hall told reporters early Friday afternoon. By late Friday night, he said legislation was “killed” and Democrats missed an opportunity to keep discussions open.
When Tate first blasted Republicans’ move, he said conversations about funding roads are still ongoing, without specifying how the minimum wage and sick leave policies may factor into them. “So we’ll see. I’m willing to have conversations,” he said. “Republicans aren’t here. So how can we have a conversation if they’re not here and decided to, you know, go make snow angels in front of the Capitol I guess?”
By Friday night, Tate seemed to acknowledge the chance for future negotiations had closed. “I think we have to reassess. But obviously with the days that we have remaining, I think that window closes for this legislative session,” he told reporters. He said earlier in the day that he didn’t reach out to Republicans after they left the chamber and was waiting for them to make the first outreach. “I don’t know where they went to, but they know where we’re at,” Tate told reporters.
It wasn’t clear Friday what — if any — legislation on road funding Democrats could pass without Republican votes. And the House Democratic caucus has been divided over whether to touch the minimum wage and paid sick leave laws.
State Rep. Nate Shannon, D-Sterling Heights, introduced legislation to preserve Michigan’s tipped minimum wage, a move supported by business groups and opposed by labor unions. Restaurant workers have regularly showed up at the state Capitol during lame duck to call for lawmakers to preserve the tipped wage.
The changes stem from Republicans’ actions to water down voter-initiated legislation in 2018. There was never a ballot measure on the paid sick leave and minimum wage but the GOP-controlled state Legislature adopted and amended the voter-initiated legislation in the same session, a tactic that the Michigan Supreme Court ruled illegal.
In July, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled the Legislature acted unconstitutionally when it adopted petition language seeking to boost minimum wage and expand paid sick leave requirements for employers but amended the language to delay the minimum wage increase and exempt most businesses from having to comply with the paid sick leave requirements.
The court’s ruling, however, wiped out the 2018 changes and established a date of Feb. 21, 2025, for a new minimum wage scale and paid sick time policy to take effect. On that date, the regular minimum wage will rise to $12.48 an hour. The changes will also see the tipped minimum wage gradually increase until it is completely eliminated in 2030. The current tipped minimum wage is $3.93 an hour, 38% of the regular minimum wage. Starting Feb. 21, 2025, it will rise to 48% of the standard minimum wage.
“I know the intentions were good to get people to a living wage,” Shannon told the Free Press Wednesday. But he cited opposition from some servers. “We’re trying to force something upon a group of people that don’t want it, and so that’s a huge problem for me. I’m trying to look out for the workers. They’re the ones that don’t want it,” Shannon said.
At least one Democratic state lawmaker says he doesn’t want to entertain any conversations about stopping the changes made by the Michigan Supreme Court from taking effect. State Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City, said it would be hypocritical for Democrats who railed against adopt and amend to stand in the way of the pending court-ordered changes. “I think this is good for workers,” he said, referring to the elimination of a tipped minimum wage in Michigan. “I don’t think that it’s going to stop tipping altogether.” Seven states require employers to pay tipped workers the same minimum wage as non-tipped workers, according to U.S. Department of Labor.
State Rep. Graham Filler, R-Duplain Township, has worked with Shannon on the minimum wage legislation and introduced a separate bill to modify the Michigan Supreme Court’s changes to the paid sick leave.
“I’ve been excited to hear the governor weigh in with some positive words behind the scenes about this, that she’s pressing on getting this done in some manner,” Filler said. “I mean the first time that a business closes, because this goes into effect, they’re holding up a sign that says, ‘Gretchen Whitmer closed my business.'”
Whitmer press secretary Stacey LaRouche did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Whitmer supports preempting the pending changes to the state’s minimum wage and paid sick leave.
Hall attributed Tate’s inaction Friday on the issues to the House Speaker’s allegiance to labor interests. “I don’t think Speaker Tate has the political courage to stand up to the labor unions,” Hall told reporters.
“I’m not going to have Leader Hall lecture me on courage when he didn’t show up to work,” Tate said.
The House is scheduled to reconvene next Wednesday.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com.
