Michigan Supreme Court declines to take up $15 minimum wage ballot issue

The $15 per hour minimum wage crowd took a massive defeat this week, at least in one state.

According to WILX, the Michigan Supreme Court shot down efforts by the workers’ rights organization One Fair Wage, the group that has attempted to bring the issue to the public ballot in the state for the past decade.

The group had asked the state's high court to intervene after it gathered the required 300,000 signatures to be put on the ballot but was ultimately denied by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers.

The board had accused the organization of altering the original language of their petition, which ultimately sparked a legal response.

Unfortunately for the leaders of the One Fair Wage movement, the state's high court declined to step in on the issue.

The outlet noted:

The recent Supreme Court decision is tangential to an ongoing case that stemmed from a decision by 2018 lawmakers to adopt a proposal to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour, before quickly amending it in the same legislative session. One Fair Wage, which brought forth that original proposal in 2018, said the action by a Republican-led legislature was unconstitutional.

One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman was not happy with the Michigan Supreme Court's decision not to accept the case.

"We have been at this in Michigan, really led by thousands of Michigan workers for 10 years, a decade of pushing to raise the minimum wage on the ballot," Jayaraman said.

She added, "My big question of the hour, and of the day, and of the year, and of the decade, is why are Republicans so afraid of letting voters decide whether to raise the minimum wage?"

Voters in Michigan will not get to sound off on a 15-dollar minimum wage in the November election.

The Michigan Supreme Court has paused the effort by One Fair Wage by not hearing the lawsuit filed by the group.

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Local business owners, especially restaurant owners, were thrilled with the news. George Smyrnis, the owner of Sophia’s House of Pancakes in Grand Ledge, was one of them.

He provided an explanation to the outlet why restaurant owners like himself can't handle a sudden, massive spike in payroll costs.

"I’m glad that it’s not happening," he told WILX. "I hope it doesn’t happen."

"For example, if I have a hamburger for $12, $15, well $15 dollar minimum wage, it might go up to $20,” he said. “So, who’s going to pay $20 for a hamburger and then leave tips for the servers?"