Court Opinion

ID: 9516130
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 23:35:37.897286+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:14:38.637276
License: Public Domain

Williams, J.
(concurring in part and dissenting in part). I concur in part with and dissent in part from my Brothers Justices T. G. Kavanagh and Adams. I agree with Justice Kavanagh that the subclassification in § 115(d) of 1969 PA 317; MCLA 418.115(d); MSA 17.237 (115)(d) creating a difference between piecework and wage remuneration for employees doing similar work under otherwise similar conditions is violative of equal protection. I do not believe it is necessary, however, to say this subclassification does not further a compelling governmental interest because I view this subclassification as altogether unreasonable and lacking in rational basis.
Regarding the other parts of the statute creating a series of subclassifications applicable to agricultural workers I agree with the principal T. G. Kavanagh espouses that the effect of a statute in a particular case may be the basis in combination with other factors for the standard of close scrutiny associated with suspect classification. However, the facts presented in the briefs are not, in my opinion, sufficiently comprehensive to establish a suspect classification especially in light of the *676absence of any findings of fact at all on this issue on the record.
On the other hand, I cannot agree completely with Justice Adams that all classifications of agricultural workers differ from other kinds of workers is unsupported by a rational basis. There are some differences between § 115(a) vis-a-vis § 115(d) and § 115(b) vis-a-vis § 115(d) that may not be supported by a rational basis but it may be that other differences are supportable by some rational basis if properly argued.
However, I do not find that the Court of Appeals ruled on the additional provision of "35 or more hours per week by [the] same employer for 13 or more consecutive weeks during the preceding 52 weeks.” Moreover in the arguments of appellants and appellee both posit the issue as piecework. (See also Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board Opinion.) The Amicus brief does recognize the duration problem but does not really develop it. One of the problems mentioned, for example, is that only those agricultural employees who meet the tests of § 115(d) are covered, whereas in other employment covered in § 115(b), so long as one employee meets the test, all are covered. Another of the problems is that agricultural employees must work 13 consecutive weeks under § 115(d) whereas other employees must work 13 weeks but without a requirement of consecutive work. What about the coverage of an agricultural worker for the state under § 115(c)?
In my opinion, however, there is not presently before us a sufficient decisional and factual record for resolution of these other issues. Under these circumstances, it would seem the better part of judicial prudence to remand the case to the Court of Appeals without prejudice to produce such a *677record in such a manner as may be necessary to consider other issues as may be adequately presented for decision.