HOLLAND — Four years ago, the lives of restaurant owners and workers in Michigan were turned upside-down. Eateries were temporarily shuttered, then closed to dine-in service, then limited in tables and required to change operations to meet COVID-19 guidelines.
It was a gut punch to employers and employees alike, and many lakeshore restaurants didn’t survive. The ensuing inflation has taken out still others, as an industry with historically thin margins finds itself with very little operating budget left.
A recent decision from the Michigan Supreme Court, restauranteurs say, could be the final nail in the coffin — and not just for a handful of eateries, but for a measurable percentage.
How, exactly, did this happen?
In July, the Michigan Supreme Court found legislators lacked the authority to “adopt and amend” petition language set to go before voters in 2018, saying officials essentially circumvented the initiative process.
They did so by adopting two initiatives before they could hit the ballot (Michigan One Fair Wage and MI Time To Care) with the intention of watering them down later in the legislative session. Under the amendments, the minimum wage would gradually rise to reach $12.05 by 2030 and the state’s tipped wage would remain in place at 38% of the regular minimum wage, hitting $4.58 per hour by 2030.