MI Poll Shows Strong Support For Minimum Wage Hike, Sick Time Benefits

MICHIGAN — A majority of Michiganders want to see the state's new minimum wage and paid sick leave laws take effect next month, according to a poll released by Progress Michigan Thursday.

On Feb. 21, Michigan's minimum wage will jump to $12.48 an hour, and eventually $15 an hour by 2028. The tipped wage will jump to $5.99 an hour and eventually to 100 percent of the minimum wage by 2030.

Additionally, businesses with over 10 employees will have to provide up to 72 hours of earned paid sick leave annually, while small businesses with less than 10 workers would have to offer up to 40 hours annually.

Those increases are because the Michigan Supreme Court reinstated the Wage Act, which was originally approved to appear on the ballot in 2018. But before it could reach voters, Republican-led lawmakers adopted it and later watered-down the proposal, violating the state's constitution.

The Progress Michigan poll found 80 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of Republicans were in favor of the minimum wage hike. The poll also showed bipartisan support for the paid sick laws, with 83 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans favoring the new law.

The group polled 513 Michigan voters from Jan. 16 to 17 by phone and text.

Executive Director of Progress Michigan Sam Inglot said the results show Michiganders clearly support "support strong, pro-worker laws."

"Regardless of what tales corporate lobbyists are spinning, the majority of Michiganders want to see these laws go into effect as intended," Inglot said. "The right thing to do may not always be the most popular, but in this case the right thing and the popular thing are the same: Our lawmakers must stand up to the corporate agenda and save these basic wage and benefit improvements for working people."

The poll results come as some restaurants across Michigan warned the new laws, especially the increases to tipped workers, would force changes and could ultimately hurt servers in the industry.

The poll results also come as the Michigan House Republicans passed legislation Thursday that would retain the state's tipped wage ($4.01 an hour) and gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029. The Republican bills would also limit the new paid sick laws to only affect businesses with more than 50 workers.

That legislation would still need to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, which has drafted its own changes to the laws, before reaching Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk.

The Senate Democrats' proposal include gradually raising the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027, while keeping the tipped wage at $4.01 for 2025. Then the state's tipped wage would eventually reach 60 percent of minimum wage over a 10-year period.