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Sam Winter (left) and Evie Winter (right) hold a sign and collect signatures against a bill that would allow employers to pay youth under 20 less than minimum wage.

((Logan Arkema | Submitted photo) )

LANSING, MI -- Sen. Margaret O'Brien found support in the Senate Commerce Committee for a bill to let employers pay people under 20 less than minimum wage, but she isn't getting support from high school students if Byron Center High School Senior Logan Arkema can help it.

"I just want to make sure that people know that this is very much an issue for young people," said Arkema, 17, a former chair of the Michigan High School Democrats who now serves as development director for High School Democrats of America.

Under current law, employers can pay people under 18 either 85 percent of Michigan's minimum wage or the federal minimum wage, whichever is greater. Senate Bill 250 would change that to include all employees under 20.

Michigan's current minimum wage is $8.50 per hour. If the bill were to go into effect today, employers could pay people under 20 the lower federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Sponsoring Sen. Margaret O'Brien, R-Portage, said she'd talked with young people about how hard it was to find that first job. The bill could give employers an incentive to take a chance on a young employee.

"We want to get their foot in the door... if they can get their foot in the door and get the training and experience they need then their wage will go up to minimum wage or higher," O'Brien said.

Even if it doesn't, then they have that employment experience and are able to seek another job, she said.

But Arkema said people his age see it as a way to pay people less for doing the same work as older employees.

"I've got friends who are on the far right of the political spectrum and on the far left and they all, virtually, agree that this is not good for them or any high school students," Arkema said.

His group has started an online petition seeking 100 signatures, with 26 so far. The group will also be contacting other Michigan high schools to get the word out about the bill.

"We're coordinating with all the local chapters and getting them to go out into their high schools and their communities," Arkema said.

O'Brien said she has a passion for kids and would love to sit down with any to discuss the bill. "They would understand that I'm trying to address a problem for them rather than causing a problem," O'Brien said.

If passed into law, the measure would be singular nationally. According to an analysis from the subscription-based Michigan political publication MIRS News, the bill would make Michigan the only state to pay any non-tipped employee over 18 less than the state's minimum wage if signed into law.

O'Brien said there was a lot of fear-mongering going on and it's resulted in the spread of inaccurate information. She said already-employed youth couldn't have their wages docked if the bill passed. In addition it would be mainly small mom and pop businesses using the new wage, she said, because big chain stores usually set their wages on a statewide or national basis.

The bill also bumps up the "training wage," which employers can pay to people under the age of 20 for the first 90 days of employment, from $4.25 to $6.25 an hour.

The bill was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee in June, but hasn't yet come up for a vote on the Senate floor. It showed up on Senate agendas distributed in December, but didn't end up coming up for a vote. O'Brien said she did not know when it would come up next.

Emily Lawler is a Capitol reporter on MLive's statewide Impact Team. You can reach her at elawler@mlive.com, subscribe to her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter: @emilyjanelawler.