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Michigan JSIA Basics

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Can you please give me an overview of the JSIA? We are in Michigan.

Sure. The JSIA is the Jury Systems Improvement Act. This is a federal Act, which means that it applies to employers in states across the country. In your state of Michigan as well as in the nation as a whole, employees are protected from being disciplined in any way when they are called to jury duty. The JSIA specifically prohibits employers from terminating, threatening to terminate, punishing, disciplining or treating unfairly any employee within their company that must serve on jury duty or go to court for jury duty selection.

If you, as an employer, do punish or discipline an employee for serving jury duty or taking part in the jury duty selection process, then your company is in violation of the JSIA. Here are just a few of the punishments that your company could receive for violating the law:

If you terminate an employee that has had to serve jury duty (even if the employee is taken away for multiple months) your company may be liable for lost wages to that employee.

If you terminate an employee that has had to serve jury duty, then you may also be liable for lost benefits as well (such as healthcare benefits, expected bonuses, dental benefits, life insurance benefits and more).

Also, if you terminate an employee that has had to serve on jury duty, you may also be actually ordered by the courts to reinstate that employee. When you reinstate the employee, you will be expected to reinstate the employee with the same level of seniority that he or she had before termination.

If you terminate or discipline an employee for reasons related to jury duty, then you may also be fined up to $1,000 for each violation for each employee that you have disciplined. Your company may also be held liable for reasonable legal fees related to the case.