(WXYZ) — On Thursday, the Michigan Court of Appeals unanimously voted against raising Michigan's minimum wage. The vote halted a $3 pay bump expected to take effect in February.
“The minimum wage is barely $10 an hour. That is completely inadequate," attorney Mark Brewer said.
Brewer has been fighting for what he considers to be a livable wage for workers for years. He represents the groups at the center of this latest court ruling.
“Back in 2018 my clients brought two very popular ballot proposals to the state government,” Brewer said.
One was to increase the minimum wage and the other was to provide every full-time employee with paid sick leave. Instead of putting the proposals on the ballot, the republican led legislature at the time adopted them.
“But then in the lame duck session, they gutted them completely. Eviscerated them," Brewer said.
The legislature pushed the deadline to 2030 with no inflation consideration and didn’t require small businesses to provide sick leave.
“Our view is that that is unconstitutional," Brewer said.
But the court of appeals disagrees, much to the satisfaction of Greektown's Golden Fleece Owner Yanni Dionisopoulos who says many small businesses are still bouncing back from COVID and battling inflation. So an increase in wages could force many to close shop.
"It is just another burden on us trying to operate a small business," he said.
