For Immediate Release
Friday, February 14, 2025
Patriotic Millionaires / Authors of “Pay the People” Book Slam Michigan Democrats “Total Betrayal of Michigan Workers”
WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, the Michigan Senate passed an amended version of Democratic Senator Kevin Hertel’s bill, which slightly speeds up the state’s $15 minimum wage increase to 2027 and preserves the tipped minimum wage at 50% of the standard minimum. Most Republicans voted to pass the bill along with a handful of Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks. The vote comes before the mandated increase to the minimum wage and tipped minimum wage slated for February 21st, the first in a series ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court after it deemed unconstitutional a number of actions Republicans took to thwart the will of the people.
In response, Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and the co-author of Pay the People! Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America, said:
“This Valentine’s Day, we are heartbroken over the bill that the Michigan Senate passed last night. The acceleration of the $15 minimum wage increase is a welcome change, but allowing employers to count tips their employees get from customers to meet half that requirement leaves Michigan’s most vulnerable employees earning poverty wages.
This was a rare occasion where lawmakers would have done more for their constituents by doing nothing and leaving the Court-ordered phaseout of the tipped minimum wage untouched than what they’ve done. It was a dereliction of leadership for Governor Whitmer to encourage ‘compromise’ between Republicans and Democrats on this issue, and Winnie Brinks and the other Democrats that joined Republicans in passing the bill should be ashamed.
What kind of ‘compromise’ is it for Democrats when they trade away the opportunity to do right by workers and ensure that all of them can earn a stable, decent income to support themselves and their families? Here’s hoping the Michigan House and Governor Whitmer see the light on this before it’s too late.”
In response, John Driscoll, Chair of Magnit Global and the co-author of Pay the People! Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America, said:
“Restaurant lobbyists in Michigan falsely claim that raising the tipped wage to a fair wage spells disaster for businesses and kills jobs. I know from my own experience as the former CEO of a company that paid all of our employees a living wage that it’s not just better for workers but also best for businesses. When workers know that they can afford to pay their bills, they are more productive and loyal, which boosts businesses’ bottom lines. Michigan’s restaurant association’s lobbyists simply don’t understand that, by keeping tipped workers’ pay at abysmal and unpredictably low levels, they’re hurting – not helping – their businesses.
The last election made clear that Democrats have lost their strongest and most reliable voting bloc: workers. Why? Because working people have seen that – even in power – Democrats often don’t deliver. False compromises like the one we’re seeing now in Michigan reinforces their fears.
If Democrats want to win back working-class votes, they need to fight and deliver for all workers on issues they can clearly understand – like higher wages! They need to reject any and all ‘compromises’ related to paying workers a living wage.”
In response, Cat Hadley, Director of Partnerships at Patriotic Millionaires, said:
“I am a lifelong Michigander, a mother of two young children, and a former server who lived the exploitation of tipped wages firsthand. Make no mistake about it: the bill that the Michigan Senate passed last night is nothing short of a betrayal to the state’s tipped wage workforce.
Servers, most of whom are women and people of color, should not have to depend on the charity of customers to make ends meet. They should be paid a full and stable minimum wage that meets the basic cost of living, with the opportunity to make tips on top. Full stop.
The tipped minimum wage is a vestige of slavery that belongs in the past. Under no condition or circumstance should the House or Governor Whitmer advance the Senate’s bill, or approve any other rollbacks to the phaseout of the tipped minimum wage that the Supreme Court mandated back in July.”
For interview requests with Morris Pearl, John Driscoll, Cat Hadley, or other members of the Patriotic Millionaires, please contact Emily McCloskey at [email protected].
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