Employers with employees in Michigan need to be aware of immediate changes to the state’s Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA). Under the amended ESTA, paid earned sick time begins to accrue as of Feb. 21, 2025.Our article, Last-Minute Changes to Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Law: What Employers Need to Know, highlights key aspects of
Michigan Supreme Court Invalidates Legislative Amendments to Minimum Wage, Paid Sick Leave Measures
Michigan employers soon will face a significantly higher minimum wage and more onerous employee sick leave obligations after the Michigan Supreme Court invalidated the Michigan legislature’s amendments related to two voter ballot initiatives. Mothering Justice v. Attorney General and State of Michigan, No. 165325 (July 31, 2024).
Learn more here.
Michigan Supreme Court to Hear State’s Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Laws Battle
In 2018, the Michigan legislature adopted, and then within the same legislative session amended, two voter-approved ballot initiatives, one to significantly raised Michigan’s minimum wage and the other to expand employer obligations to provide paid sick leave. In 2022, the Michigan Court of Claims held that the legislature’s actions violated the Michigan Constitution and ordered
Michigan’s Patchwork of COVID-19 Laws & Orders For Employers
As previously reported, on October 2, 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court invalidated post-April 30, 2020 Executive Orders that Governor Whitmer issued related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The opinion can be found here. As a result, a patchwork of laws and agency orders have stepped in to cover the gaps left by the invalidated Michigan
What Employers Need To Know About Michigan’s Approach To COVID-19
With 53 presumptive-positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan as of March 15, Michigan is taking proactive steps to reduce transmission of the virus. Below is a brief synopsis of what employers need to know.
On March 10, 2020, Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Executive Order 2020-4.
Michigan’s Amended Paid Medical Leave Law
As discussed in a prior blog post, Michigan joined other states with paid sick leave laws on September 5, 2018, enacting the Earned Sick Time Act. Now, amidst political controversy, the Earned Sick Time Act (which never became effective) has been amended and renamed the Michigan Paid Medical Leave Act. The law requires
Michigan Passes Paid Sick Leave Law
On September 5, 2018, Michigan became the 11th state to enact a mandatory paid sick leave law — the Earned Sick Time Act. The act was a citizen petition-initiated measure that the state legislature approved. Under the act, employees accrue a minimum of one hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked.
Leaving Defenses On The Table In Drafting Employee Handbooks And Posting Notices
While off-the-shelf employee handbooks can be cost-efficient in the short-term, sometimes they leave important employer defenses on the table. This is particularly true for state-specific defenses. For example, while most Michigan employers know it is best to include a reporting procedure for harassment in their employee handbook, many do not know that Michigan’s Persons with