When Bi-Partisan votes translate into abandoning the working class: The Michigan Legislature votes for Wage Theft

“We commend Michigan legislators for reaching a bipartisan compromise to amend the state’s onerous paid sick time and tipped wage laws. 

While the compromise is not perfect, jobs, businesses and people’s livelihoods were saved last night. Shared power between Michigan’s legislative chambers is leading to more pragmatic solutions for the people and job providers of our great state.”

The above words were posted by the West Michigan Policy Forum on their Facebook page, after learning that the Democrats abandoned the interests of working class people and gave in to the demands of the business class.  For those who read this blog, you know that the West Michigan Policy Forum was created in 2008 as a project of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, to mobilize members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure to lobby state legislators to embrace the interests of the Capitalist Class. The GR Chamber of Commerce also celebrated this vote, as you can see from their message here below.

An article in Crain’s Grand Rapids highlights how the working class continues to be betrayed by both Republicans and Democrats. The article states:

“The Democratic-led Senate passed a revised version of House Bill 4002 on a 26-10 vote following weeks of negotiations. The Republican-controlled House quickly approved the legislation, 81-29, about 35 minutes later. The Democratic governor was poised to swiftly sign it and revisions to a minimum wage law, potentially overnight, but not before new laws they will replace took effect after midnight.” 

It would do us all well to remember that in 2018, Michigan voted for a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage in Michigan. According to the group One Fair Wage, the group behind the 2018 ballot initiative,  stated that Governor Whitmer was “stripping millions of dollars” from Michigan workers’ paychecks. One Fair Wage president Saru Jayaraman, in a released statement after the Michigan Legislature betrayed workers stated: 

“Michigan’s highest court ruled that these wage increases should take effect. Michigan workers have already earned this raise, and taking it away is not a compromise—it is wage theft. We are mobilizing to ensure voters—not politicians—have the final say on whether these protections remain in place.”

Here is what the Thursday vote will mean for working class people. SB 8 will phase in an increase in the lower wage for servers and bartenders, now 38% of the general minimum wage, until it reaches 50% by 2031. The tipped wage, which businesses can pay as long as their employees’ tips make up the difference, had been scheduled to equal the regular minimum wage by 2030.

The legislation also will accelerate a boost in the general minimum wage to $15 by 2027 instead of $14.97 by 2028. It went up to $12.48 from $10.56 on Friday under the law that went into effect overnight and the one Whitmer will sign.

The fact is, that waiting until 2027 for the $15 an hour minimum wage increase should tell us that those who voted for this are not people who are struggling to make ends meet. For instance, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for people living in Michigan, they need to make $23.16 an hour to be able to afford the average cost of rent in this state. The fact that this was a bi-partisan vote should tell you that both parties are ultimately in the pocket of the Capitalist Class and will not fight for working class people……only we can fight for ourselves.