Michigan raises minimum wage to $9.25

[animatedmartian]

Snyder signs bill raising Michigan's minimum wage to $9.25

Gary Heinlein
Detroit News Lansing Bureau


The Republican-controlled Legislature moved rapidly Tuesday to boost Michigan’s minimum wage 25 percent, to $9.25 an hour by 2018, and short-circuit a possible election issue in November, and Gov. Rick Snyder quickly signed it into law.

The House voted 76-34 and the Senate voted 24-12 late Tuesday afternoon to raise the state’s current $7.40 minimum in four stages. The first boost, to $8.15 an hour, would take effect in September, then up to $8.50 at the beginning of 2016, $8.90 in 2017 and $9.25 in 2018.

It applies to workers 18 and older; younger workers will get 85 percent of the new minimums.

Snyder said the bill represents a compromise and responsibly raises the wage.

“I commend my partners in the Legislature for finding common ground on a bill that will help Michigan workers and protect our state’s growing economy,” Snyder said.

Supporters say the new wage could mean more money in the pockets of 1 million Michiganians.

....

Starting in 2019, annual increases will be linked to the lesser of a rolling five-year average boost in the Midwest consumer price index, or 3.5 percent. The Midwest average has been around 2.6 percent, according to the chief House architect of the compromise.

Michigan is the first state with a Republican-led Legislature to raise its minimum wage this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota and West Virginia have raised their minimum wages, as well as the District of Columbia. Vermont’s legislature has passed an increase but it has yet to be signed by the governor.

A voter-initiated group, Raise Michigan, had wanted current legislation amended to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. A rate that Democratic-led states are set to raise toward and a rate which most Michigan Republicans and small business communities were not in favor of.

[hudkina]

I like how they say this will drive jobs overseas, when most people who make minimum wage are in the service industry. I guarantee McDonald's isn't going to be closing down any stores if it has to pay employees $10 an hour...

[EuphoricOctopus]

I love how our legislature is always doing something shady.

[TexasRE]

More political posturing, rather than solve the core problems of the state.

[vid]

Originally Posted by hudkina

I like how they say this will drive jobs overseas, when most people who make minimum wage are in the service industry. I guarantee McDonald's isn't going to be closing down any stores if it has to pay employees $10 an hour...

I guess the GM employees are all making minimum wage since all of their cars have recently been revealed to be Kevorkianesque pieces of shit.

[hudkina]

Because cars built 15 years ago have cheap ignition switches that only "malfunction" when Big Bertha has 15 pounds of crap on her key ring?

[vid]

Right, it's more the extremely delayed reaction time as opposed to the problem.

[hudkina]

So your first statement is invalid then?

[vid]

The first statement was actually sarcasm, but you responded seriously to it.

The WTC was still standing when GM found out that their ignitions were faulty and could cause accidents. We're only found out about it now. If that doesn't deserve ridicule, I don't know what does.

[Rizzo]

You totally lost me. Were we talking about minimum wage?

[vid]

My apologies, I didn't realize how offended you guys would get at that comment.