Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) is advocating for changes to the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) to protect family farms and agribusinesses from what it views as unworkable regulations.
Ottawa County Farm Bureau President Adam Dietrich, a fruit grower from Conklin, testified on behalf of the organization in support of House Bills 4001 and 4002 before the House Select Committee on Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses on Thursday. The bills passed with bipartisan support and are set for consideration on the House floor next week.
Watch Dietrich’s testimony (at the 32:30-minute mark).
If passed, the bills would prevent a series of changes scheduled to take effect on February 25, which MFB believes would significantly reduce employers’ flexibility in offering paid leave and impose a “one size fits all” approach that doesn’t work for family farms.
Dietrich expressed concerns about the looming deadline and the burden the new tracking requirements would place on small, seasonal operations.
“The complications of this incoming ESTA will put a huge deterrence on our ability to track the accrual program,” he said. “We don’t have a human resources department in our small farm to handle this, and especially when we’re bringing in seasonal workers for the critical harvest windows of our apples and sweet cherries, it would be a boondoggle for us.”
He also pointed out that different types of farms face unique challenges and the broad nature of the forthcoming regulations would create widespread uncertainty.
“As I talk to other producers in Ottawa County, there’s a lot of fear because this policy will impact different types of farms in different ways. Whether it’s fruit, dairy, row crops, or livestock, every operation has its own challenges, and this just adds another burden on top of what we’re already dealing with.”
Dietrich emphasized that further delays or complications from these regulations could have devastating consequences for farmers.
“Weather already determines so much of what we can and can’t do. When it’s time to plant or harvest, we need our workforce ready. These new policies could create delays or extra costs that we just can’t afford in a time-sensitive business like farming.”
Without relief, Dietrich fears that increased regulations will drive more small operations out of business, leading to further industry consolidation.
Read next: Fix Earned Sick Time Act, say MI food, farming and rural business orgs
House Bills 4001 and 4002 would make several significant changes. House Bill 4001 would repeal the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act and amend the Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, moderating the annual increases to Michigan’s minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by 2029, while maintaining the tipped minimum wage at 38% of the general wage.
House Bill 4002 would amend the Earned Sick Time Act by raising the threshold for covered employers to those with 50 or more employees, effectively exempting smaller businesses like family farms. It would also introduce several exemptions, including for employees who work fewer than 25 hours per week, those working 25 weeks or less in a benefit year, and certain variable hour employees.
Attention will also be on the Senate, as the chamber has introduced its own version of the legislation, signaling that the debate over sick time policy is far from over.
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