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MI HR0301
Resolution
Status
8/17/2020
Primary Sponsor
Brian Elder
Click for details
AI Summary
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Requests Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reconsider Opinion No. 7301 issued in 2017 by former AG Bill Schuette, which allows some small Michigan farms to pay seasonal and migrant farm workers less than minimum wage.
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Notes that 49,135 migrant and seasonal farm workers were reported in Michigan in 2013 (ranking 5th nationally), contributing to crops worth an estimated $2.3 billion annually.
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Cites example of a family of five migrant workers earning less than $4 per hour at an asparagus pickling operation in Oceana County in 2015, and emphasizes these workers lack basic labor protections available to other workers.
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Argues that lack of minimum wage protections may discourage migrant and seasonal farm workers from choosing Michigan for employment, potentially harming the state's agricultural industry and economy.
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Directs transmission of the resolution to the Michigan Attorney General and the Chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission.
Legislative Description
A resolution to join with the Michigan Civil Rights Commission in requesting that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reconsider the opinion that certain migrant and seasonal farm workers are not entitled to minimum wage under Michigan law.
Last Action
Referred To Committee On Commerce And Tourism
8/17/2020