Michigan lawmakers are in a battle over the state's minimum and tipped wages, with contrasting proposals from Democrats and Republicans.

After months of calls to intervene, the Michigan Legislature took action this week on minimum and tipped wages.

The proposals demonstrated that Democrats are open to altering the looming policy changes that have been loudly protested by some restaurant workers.

First, the standard minimum wage will increase Jan. 1 from $10.33 to $10.56 an hour for adults and $8.78 to $8.98 an hour for minors. Tipped workers, who earn 38% of the state’s minimum wage as base pay, will be bumped up from the current $3.93 an hour to $4.01.

The minimum wage will increase in nearly half the states this year, including South Dakota, even as the federal wage floor remains stuck at $7.25 per hour. In many states, the minimum wage is automatically adjusted upward as inflation rises.

Lawmakers push for minimum wage increase in Legislative session