Pro-worker advocates joined Democratic legislators to call for Earned Sick Leave Act to take effect
LANSING, Mich., Feb. 19, 2025 — State Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit) hosted a press conference today with fellow Democratic legislators and representatives from Mothering Justice, the Michigan League of Public Policy and Planned Parenthood to call on the Legislature to allow changes to the Earned Sick Time Act to take effect on Friday, Feb. 21. Participating House Democrats affirmed their commitment to protecting workers by ensuring every employee can afford to care for themselves and their loved ones.
“As an attorney-turned-legislator and working mother myself, I have dedicated my life to helping the very working people who need and depend on earned sick leave to keep themselves and their families healthy,” Myers Phillips said. “The bottom line is that life happens to everyone. Kids get sick and medical emergencies pop up no matter how big of a company you work at. I will continue fighting for every worker’s right to have the time to take care of themselves and their families.”
The legislators and advocates spoke out against the Republican House Bill 4002, which would deny improvements in earned sick leave policy for more than 1.2 million Michigan workers. House Dems worked in good faith to make improvements to the anti-worker legislation by introducing eight amendments, including to create greater protections for workers who need to take leave for unforeseeable emergencies. However, every single House Republican voted against the amendments before passing the legislation last month.
“To be clear, this is an equity issue. This anti-worker legislation especially harms Black workers and women — working mothers in particular — who are more likely to lack paid leave,” said state Rep. Donavan McKinney (D-Detroit). “We made a good faith effort to improve the Republican bill to support our workers and their families. It is unconscionable that our colleagues across the aisle pushed forward this anti-worker legislation, removing the right to any sort of leave for employees in 96% of our state’s workplaces.”
In 2018, Republicans unconstitutionally adopted and amended a citizen initiative to increase earned paid sick leave for all workers, gutting a bill that Michiganders lawfully petitioned for and would have otherwise voted on. Following a yearslong legal battle, the Michigan Supreme Court required the original ballot initiative language to take effect on Feb. 21, and advocates for working Michiganders warn against efforts to cut benefits, delay or halt the implementation of the Earned Sick Time Act changes.
“Access to earned paid sick time off is crucial to strengthening Michigan’s families,” said state Rep. Phil Skaggs (D-East Grand Rapids). “House Republicans are pushing a bill that would strip away the paid sick time protections that are set to go into effect on Friday. We are all going to go through tough times — sick kids, dying parents and our own illnesses — and we shouldn’t have to choose between paying the mortgage or rent or putting food on the table and taking care of sick loved ones. The slated changes to the Earned Sick Time Act are reasonable and honor the dignity of our humanity. Michigan is stronger when Michigan’s families are healthy. That is why I will protect earned paid sick time and support our families.”
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