DETROIT – Starting Jan. 1, Michigan’s statewide minimum wage increased to $13.73, up from $12.48.
Workers earning minimum wage will notice a little extra cash in their paychecks this month.
At Norm’s Diner in Detroit, the minimum wage hike has little impact since employees are already paid above the state average, but co-owner Danielle Norman says it’s a big deal for many others.
“I think that they deserve it,” Norman said. “I think they deserve more.”
The new minimum wage also affects tipped workers, who will now earn at least 40 percent of the minimum wage.
Norman added, “They can have a little more certainty and a little more assurance that they’re going to go home with more money so they can have a comfortable life and not worry or stress so much.”
Norman understands the struggle firsthand. Before owning the diner, she was a bartender when the minimum wage was just $2.65.
“It’s already double what it was when I was bartending,” she said.“ Sometimes you’d go to work and get two tables, and that would hurt,” she said.
While the wage increase is a win for workers, Justin Winslow of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association cautioned that it’s not without challenges.
In a statement, he said, “For many, the reality is setting in that they will be forced to either cut labor or raise menu prices to keep their doors open, knowing full well that affordability is the number one concern on the mind of most consumers right now.”
Norman acknowledges the difficulties and hopes businesses and customers can work together.
“I think that all the customers coming in are aware of this change and they should consider that because they’re being served food that’s being made by people and that’s important to know. It’s not just coming from nothing. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into getting it there and people should be paid properly for that,” she said.