Michigan labor laws, including Michigan labor laws 2024, impact the daily lives of employees and employers in Michigan. Residents of Michigan have many questions that affect them every day regarding Michigan labor laws from minimum wage rates, overtime, wage payments, vacation and sick leave, child labor, meal and rest breaks, and more.
In addition to Michigan labor laws, employer must also comply with federal labor laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and many other federal laws. And when federal laws are different from state Michigan labor laws, usually companies must comply with the law that provides their workers the best protection.
Below we provide comprehensive information and resources regarding your more pressing Michigan labor law questions to help you answer the question and help you make the right decision about you and your employment.
- Michigan Minimum Wage
- Michigan Overtime
- Michigan Prevailing Wages
- Michigan Meals and Breaks
- Michigan Nursing Mother Breaks
- Michigan Equal Pay
- Vacation Leave
- Michigan Sick Leave
- Holiday Leave
- Jury Duty Leave
- Voting Leave
- Severance Pay
- Unemployment
- Other Michigan Labor Laws Topics and Resources
- Other State’s Labor Law and Wage and Hour Information
Michigan Minimum Wage
Michigan’s current regular minimum wage is $9.87. All non-exempt workers who are not tip workers are eligible to receive the minimum wage. Michigan Workforce Opportunity Wage Act
On the first of each calendar year, beginning in 2023, the minimum wage in Michigan will increase. It will increase to $10.10 in 2023, $10.33 in 2024, $10.56 in 2025, $10.80 in 2026, and so on. By January 1st, 2031, the minimum wage in Michigan will be $12.05 per hour. For employees who receive tips, the minimum wage is $3.75.
For more information on Michigan’s minimum wage laws, visit our Michigan Minimum Wage Laws page, which includes topics such as minimum wage, tip minimum wage, tip sharing and pooling, and subminimum wages.
Michigan Overtime
Michigan overtime laws require employers to pay their workers overtime at a rate of one and a half times their regular rate of pay when they work more than 40 hours in a given workweek, unless they are exempt. MI Statute 408:934a.
Federal labor laws may impose additional requirements on employers regarding overtime pay. See FLSA: Overtime for more information regarding overtime requirements.
Michigan Prevailing Wages
Some states specify a prevailing wage for workers employed by the government. However, Michigan does not have a prevailing wage law that controls wage rates on government project or service contracts.
Under certain circumstances, employers in Michigan may be required to pay residents wage rates established by federal prevailing wage rates and rules. The prevailing wage rates may be different from standard minimum wage rates. Employees may be eligible for prevailing wages if they work on government or government-funded construction projects or perform certain government services.
See the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), and Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (PCA) for more information about prevailing wages.
Michigan Meals and Breaks
Employees in Michigan are guaranteed different rights to meals and breaks depending on their age.
Minors have the right to unpaid break time under Michigan law. Michigan labor laws require employers to provide employees under eighteen (18) years of age with a thirty (30) minute uninterrupted rest period if scheduled to work more than five (5) continuous hours. MI Statute 409.112.
However, Michigan does not require employers to provide breaks, including lunch breaks, for workers eighteen (18) years old or older. That being said, any employer who chooses to provide a meal, lunch, or break period must completely relieve employees of their work duties for the break period to be considered unpaid. Otherwise, the employer is required to provide compensation for the break. MI Dept. of Labor and Economic – Wage & Hour FAQ.
Michigan Nursing Mother Breaks
Michigan labor laws do not require employers to provide nursing mothers with paid or unpaid breaks to express breast milk. However, employers are still subject to federal laws that protect breastfeeding mothers after childbirth. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires certain employers to provide non-exempt nursing mothers with reasonable rest breaks to express milk and private spaces, other than a bathroom, to express breast milk. These requirements apply up to one year after the birth of a child.
Michigan Equal Pay
The state of Michigan does not have a specific policy protecting workers from wage discrimination on the basis of sex, race, age, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics. However, the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 protects all employees from wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Under the Equal Pay Act, workers of different sexes who perform similar job duties, with similar experience, qualifications, and performance, cannot be paid different amounts of money. Employees can file formal complaints with the U.S. Department of Labor against employers who do not follow these regulations with regard to equal pay.
Vacation Leave
If an employer gives its workers unpaid or paid vacation time, it must comply with the employment contract or vacation policy terms. This includes when vacation leave is required as part of collective bargaining agreements.
Michigan law also allows employers to establish policies or create contracts that prohibit employees from receiving payment for accrued vacation leave upon the end of the contract or separation of employment.
If payment for accrued vacation time at the separation of employment is not specified, an employer is required to pay it.
Michigan employers are not required to provide paid or unpaid vacation time to their employees. More information about Michigan vacation leave laws may now be found on our Michigan Leave Laws page.
Michigan Sick Leave
Michigan employers are not required to provide paid or unpaid sick time to their employees. If a business provides paid or unpaid sick leave benefits, it must adhere to the employment contract or established policy at the beginning of employment.
Unless explicitly stated by the contract, employers are not required to pay employees for accrued sick leave vacation upon the end of the contract or employment.
More information about Michigan sick leave laws may now be found on our Michigan Leave Laws page.
Holiday Leave
Private employers in Michigan are not required to provide holiday leave, but public employers may be.
In Michigan, employers may require employees to work on holidays. Furthermore, a private-sector employer is not required to provide additional compensation for work during holidays unless those hours qualify for overtime hours according to federal overtime regulations.
If a business provides unpaid or paid holiday time for its employees, it must adhere to the employment contract conditions or previously established policy.
More information about Michigan holiday leave laws may now be found on our Michigan Leave Laws page.
Jury Duty Leave
While an employer in the state of Michigan is not required to provide paid jury duty leave, they cannot retaliate against an employee for serving jury duty or require them to work additional hours past their usual quitting time on the days they serve jury duty. More information about Michigan jury duty leave laws may now be found on our Michigan Leave Laws page
Voting Leave
Michigan law does not require employers to provide paid or unpaid time off from work for employees to vote in elections. More information about Michigan voting leave laws may now be found on our Michigan Leave Laws page.
Severance Pay
Michigan employment laws do not require employers to provide employees with severance pay when they are terminated. MI Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity – Wage & Hour Div FAQ
Even so, some Michigan employers may still choose to provide severance under the terms of an employee’s contract or their workplace policies. If an employer chooses to provide severance benefits, it must comply with the terms of its established policy or employment contract.
Unemployment
Under certain circumstances, Michigan residents may be eligible for unemployment benefits while they search for another job. In the state of Michigan, you are required to certify that you are unemployed on a weekly basis to receive these benefits.
Workers in Michigan are eligible for unemployment benefits. The worker must be out of work but able and available to work to qualify for benefits. They must continuously look for full-time employment. Unemployed workers seeking benefits must register for work at the Michigan Works Agency.
A standard base period will determine if the worker’s wages qualify for unemployment benefits. This base period includes four of the last five completed calendar quarters before filing a claim.
Moreover, the worker must have earned wages in at least two of those quarters. There are also minimum wage requirements to be met to receive unemployment benefits in Michigan.
See Michigan State Unemployment Benefits for more information about these laws.
Other Michigan Labor Laws Topics and Resources
There are several other laws governing the employers and their workplaces. Below are those topics and resources:
- Michigan Child Labor Laws including work during school hours and summer hours, school days and summer days, hour restrictions, and hazardous occupations.
- Discrimination which includes the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and its protections and violations based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age (over 40), and disability.
- Michigan payday law including covering frequency and manner of wage payments, regular pay periods, deductions, direct deposit and payroll cards, pay stubs, record keeping, and notice requirements.
- Minimum wage and overtime exemptions covering non-exempt employees and exempt employees
- Hours worked including rest breaks, meal breaks, on-call, waiting, travel, sleeping, and meeting times.
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
