Servers Won in Lansing — Now Outsiders Want to Overturn It

Members,

Earlier this year, we witnessed something powerful: servers from across Michigan showed up in Lansing to make their voices heard, and they won.

Thanks to your advocacy and support, lawmakers passed PA 1 of 2025 — a bipartisan law that protects the tipped minimum wage system while gradually raising Michigan’s overall minimum wage.

But now, that victory is under threat.

A group called Voters to Stop Pay Cuts has submitted paperwork to launch a voter referendum aimed at repealing PA 1. If successful, their campaign would eliminate the law that we all fought so hard to pass — replacing it with a flat wage system that Michigan servers have consistently rejected.

Here’s what you need to know:

• PA 1 of 2025 (current law) raises the minimum wage to $15 by 2027 and increases the tipped wage to 50% of minimum wage by 2031.

• The proposed referendum would ask voters to repeal that law.

• To qualify for the ballot, the group must collect 223,099 valid signatures (5% of the 2022 gubernatorial vote).

• If enough signatures are gathered, PA 1 will be suspended until the referendum is placed on a ballot during an election, and the old statute will go back into effect in the meantime.

“This isn’t about what’s best for Michigan,” said MLBA Executive Director Scott Ellis. “It’s about national organizations trying to check a box — and they’re willing to sacrifice local jobs and small businesses to do it.”

We urge you to talk to your staff, engage your customers, and help educate the public about what this referendum really means.

“We need to stay organized, stay vocal, and stay united,” Ellis continued. “The same grassroots effort that won in Lansing needs to show up at the ballot box. We can’t let misinformation win.”