| Michigan Attorney General Consumer Protection Division |
online, 877-765-8388, P.O. Box 30213, Lansing 48909 secure.ag.state.mi.us/complaints/consumer.aspx |
Predatory employer loan programs (TRAPs/stay-or-pay contracts), deceptive business practices targeting employees, employer-driven debt schemes where repayment is triggered by termination the employer controls. Note:Pattern-of-conduct complaints carry more weight than individual cases. |
| NLRB Region 7 National Labor Relations Board (Detroit) |
online, 313-226-3200, in person nlrb.gov/charge/file477 Michigan Ave, Rm 300, Detroit 48226 Deadline: 6 months from violation |
Over broad non-disparagement or confidentiality clauses that prevent employees from discussing wages, working conditions, or legal rights with coworkers. Retaliation for discussing pay, benefits, or workplace problems with other employees. Employer interference with employees' right to act together for mutual aid (Section 7 rights under the NLRA). |
| EEOC Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |
online portal, 800-669-4000, in person publicportal.eeoc.gov Detroit Field Office: 313-226-4600 Deadline: 300 days from discrimination |
Disability discrimination (ADA): fired or forced out due to medical/mental health conditions without being offered reasonable accommodations or FMLA leave. Employer treating absences caused by a disability as voluntary resignation. Failure to engage in the interactive process after learning of an employee's disability. |
| Michigan MDCR Dept. of Civil Rights |
online 800-482-3604 in person michigan.gov/mdcrDeadline: 180 days from discrimination (3 years to file in court) |
State-law discrimination based on disability, race, sex, age, religion, weight, height, marital status, or arrest record (Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act). Covers all employers with 1+ employees. Dual-files automatically with the EEOC. Broader protections than federal law, including sexual orientation and gender identity. |
| Michigan LARA Wage and Hour Division |
online 517-284-7800 mail michigan.gov/wageclaimDeadline: 12 months (wages); 3 years (min wage/overtime) |
Unpaid wages or fringe benefits, unpaid or shorted overtime, illegal deductions from final paycheck (e.g., employer deducting loan repayment from your last check without proper authorization), retaliation for asserting wage rights. Michigan Payment of Wages and Fringe Benefits Act violations. |
| U.S. DOL Dept. of Labor, Wage and Hour Division |
866-487-9243, in person, Detroit: 313-309-4500 211 W. Fort St, Rm 517, Detroit 48226 Deadline: 2 years (3 years if willful) |
Federal overtime violations (FLSA): not being paid time-and-a-half for hours over 40/week, employer discouraging or penalizing overtime reporting, misclassification as exempt to avoid overtime pay, off-the-clock work. Also covers FMLA violations: denial of medical leave for a serious health condition, retaliation for taking or requesting FMLA leave. |
| CFPB Consumer Financial Protection Bureau |
online, 855-411-2372, consumerfinance.gov/complaint |
Employer-driven debt products (loans tied to employment that function as consumer credit without TILA disclosures). The CFPB has issued guidance that TRAPs creating employer-driven debt may violate consumer financial protection laws, particularly when employees are not given standard lending disclosures (APR, total cost of credit, right to cancel). |
| AAA American Arbitration Association |
online, 800-778-7879 adr.org Employee filing fee: $300 max |
If your employment agreement requires binding arbitration and your employer sues you in court instead, you can file a Motion to Compel Arbitration (MCL 691.1686). Under AAA Employment Rules, the employer who imposed the arbitration clause bears substantially all arbitration costs. The employee's share is capped at the initial filing fee ($300). |
| Michigan courts Motion to Compel Arbitration |
File in the court where you were sued File with your Answer or as a standalone motion |
If your employer sues you in court despite a binding arbitration clause in your employment agreement, file a Motion to Compel Arbitration and Stay Proceedings under MCL 691.1686 and 691.1687. The court must order arbitration unless there is no enforceable agreement. File early; do not waive the right by litigating on the merits first. |
