LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, issued the following statement Wednesday after a Michigan Supreme Court “adopt and amend” ruling that affects minimum wage and paid sick leave laws:
“This court decision is textbook judicial activism, undermines the separation of powers outlined in our state Constitution, and attempts to force upon our state a liberal progressive policy that may have the exact opposite outcomes of its ‘feel good’ talking points. No worker will benefit from an unsustainable minimum wage increase or mandatory paid sick leave if they lose their job as a result.
“If you want to see how these liberal policies fail in real life, just look at what happened in California when the minimum wage was raised to an unsustainable level. Many restaurants couldn’t afford to pay workers — and they responded with closures and layoffs. Many of the surviving restaurants reduced hours, installed more self-serve kiosks, and significantly raised their prices in a time of already high inflation. We can’t let that happen in Michigan.
“Democrats in the Michigan Legislature must join Republicans to clean up the mess left behind by this Supreme Court ruling. The laws the Legislature enacted for minimum wage and sick leave in 2018 were workable and must be put back in place to protect Michigan workers and the budgets of Michigan families — particularly in the restaurant and ‘tipped wage’ industries. We cannot let an overreaching court decision undermine the Legislature’s responsibilities to act in the best interests of Michiganders.
“Free markets work. I am calling on Democrats to help us prevent the chaos this Michigan Supreme Court ruling will cause and keep laws in place that protect Michigan jobs.”
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