Compliance Stuff

Michigan employers received some good news on the wage and hour front when the state legislature passed amendments to the new paid sick leave and minimum wage laws at the 11th hour. Although employers did not get complete relief from the two laws, the legislative compromises will ease some of the burdens on employers. While some aspects took effect on February 21 as planned, others have been delayed or changed. We’ll give you some quick background on how we got here and identify the major changes from the two amendments. Quick Background As we previously discussed  here , a 2024 Michigan Supreme Court decision reinstated 2018 voter-initiated versions of the state’s minimum wage and paid sick leave laws, which were set to take effect on February 21. T he relevant laws are the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) and the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act (IWOWA). As previously  reported , the Michigan legislature had competing bills on amendments to both laws in both chambers. Mini...

 Understanding the complexities of city and county minimum wage rates is imperative to ensure compliance with minimum wage laws as well as managing compensation effectively.   There are challenges including certain nuances of city and county wages in relation to state laws and how to be proactive in monitoring wage increases. Paying Employees in Local Jurisdictions Employers will face challenges with minimum wage compliance at the city and even at the county level.  Here are some factors employers should consider when paying their employees in different jurisdictions: Navigating Overlaps in State, County and City Level Paying employees correctly at its very foundation, is having the accurate jurisdiction assigned to their location of work--which means, we have to understand jurisdictional boundaries and consider overlapping requirements.  Zip codes and city names do not accurately depict jurisdictional lines.  A single zip code can cross multiple jurisdict...