The Michigan House and Senate will be in Lansing for session tomorrow, September 25, and we need your help! Businesses across the state face tremendous uncertainty with the elimination of the tipped minimum wage and the paid leave requirements due to the Court ruling. 

Why it's urgent: Because the Court’s decision takes effect in February, we are under a tight deadline and face extraordinary election pressures. Lawmakers need to hear from their constituents like you – business leaders across the communities they represent – on this issue. That's why lawmakers need to hear from their constituents – including businesses like you from across their districts – on this issue. 

The impact - fast facts: The Court’s decision ordering the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) into effect in February is disastrous. The ESTA imposes some of the most far-reaching and stringent paid time off provisions found in any state – and we need the Legislature to pass legislation to soften the impact.  Here’s why:

• Will force businesses of all sizes and types to rethink their approach to paid time off (PTO). Even if your business offers 72 hours or more of leave to employees today, ESTA will require you to change your benefits.
• There are no exemptions – even for small businesses – and all employees must be covered: full-time, part-time, seasonal, temps, independent contractors, etc.
• The 72 hours of mandatory leave can be used intermittently and without advanced notification to the business, which will exacerbate staffing shortages.
• All unused sick leave at the end of a year must roll over to the next year, with no cap on the number of hours that can be rolled over.
• It’s a litigation nightmare, allowing employees to sue businesses and automatically assuming the employee’s side for unfavorable personnel actions (via a rebuttable presumption). This puts employers in the position of having to defend their HR decisions in court. No other state has a rebuttable presumption, creating a disincentive to hiring and entrepreneurship in Michigan. 
   

What lawmakers need to know: Share about the benefits you provide your employees, and how the Court’s decision, if left unchanged, will negatively impact Michigan job providers, workers and your local community and economy. 

The bottom line: TAKE ACTION TODAY. Urge lawmakers to support commonsense legislation to lessen the harm of the Supreme Court’s decision!

We have crafted a sample message that you can send to your state legislator. Just click the quick and easy form – or edit the message as you like and fits your situation – and submit.