Some state ballots also had questions relating compensation and tax policy looming. In that regard, voters were apparently feeling generous. Initiative 433 on the Nebraska ballot was approved and provides for a $15 per hour minimum wage to be phased in over the next three years. The measure passed easily with 62% of voters in…
Read More »It seems the closer the midterm elections get, the more “business-friendly” some elected officials become. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a prime and recent example. It seems Governor Whitmer, who has long been a proponent of increasing minimum wages in the Wolverine State, is now urging caution over reinstating a $12 minimum wage. The Michigan…
Read More »As we suggested last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom wasted no time in signing into law the FAST Act (the Fast-Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act). After languishing in the state senate for the better part of the legislative session, the bill moved at breakneck speed over the last days of the session, passing with…
Read More »A Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled this week that lawmakers violated the Michigan state constitution back in 2018 when they passed a pending ballot petition and then amended it to a format more to their liking. A provision in the state constitution, known as the adopt and amend provision seemingly allows the legislature to…
Read More »It seems to be the issue that just won’t go away, but the District of Columbia Superior Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the validity of signatures gathered to certify Initiative 82 for the November ballot. The suit was filed by a local bartender who wants to continue to collect tips rather than be paid…
Read More »Notwithstanding the difficulties small businesses continue to encounter in the current economy, the push to increase minimum wages continues to swirl, but this week we can at least report some good news on the subject. A proposed ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage in Michigan to $15 an hour by 2028 has failed to…
Read More »Earlier this month, Starbucks announced that it will increase the starting wage for its baristas in all stores to $12 an hour beginning in October. The company had previously announced plans for the across-the-board increase to take place in January, but pointed to better than expected performance to justify the early increases. Elsewhere, two baristas…
Read More »The Supreme Judicial Court in the state of Maine has unanimously approved a voter-initiated law that requires employers in Portland, the state’s largest city, to pay employees hazard wages equal to time and a half for any work performed during a declared state of emergency within the city. Disputes arose immediately after 62% of Portland…
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Summer 2021 is being billed as a return to “normal,” as vaccinations against COVID-19 continue and businesses resume regular operations. But, behind some of the rosy projections for the resumption of life as we knew it, there are some hard realities facing business owners in every sector, particularly quick-service restaurants. In this edition of “What’s…
Read More »Last week on a straight party-line vote of 26-15, the Delaware General Assembly passed legislation, already approved by the state senate, that will incrementally raise the state minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. The proposal, which Governor John Carney is expected to sign, makes the President’s home state the latest to adopt a…
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