MISSOURI WORKERS SUBMIT OVER 210,000 SIGNATURES THAT WERE COLLECTED FROM EVERY COUNTY IN THE STATE BY NEARLY 1,000 MISSOURIANS
On May 1st, more than 100 workers and supporters affiliated with Missourians for Health Families and Fair Wages gathered at the Missouri Secretary of State’s office to formally submit signatures for a ballot measure to allow Missouri workers to earn up to 7 paid sick days per year and to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15/hour. Over 100 Missouri-based organizations have already endorsed the ballot measure.
“I work hard each day but don’t have access to sick leave and I don’t make a wage that enables me to make ends meet,” said Alejandro Gallardo, a worker in Columbia, Missouri. “I’m proud of my work – I just want to be able to work with dignity. I collected signatures for this petition to create change for myself and others like me.”
Under the provisions of the ballot measure, Missouri workers will earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked. Workers at businesses with fewer than 15 employees can earn up to 5 days per year and workers at businesses with more than 15 employees can earn up to 7 days per year. Employees may take sick leave to care for themselves or family members. Additionally, the initiative will raise the minimum wage to $13.75 effective January 1, 2025 and $15 effective January 1, 2026. It will continue to increase annually with the cost of living thereafter.
“I can’t afford to take time off. My bills don’t take a day off so I can’t either. But I’m also a mom, and I’m expecting a baby girl this summer,” said Marieta Ortiz, a restaurant worker in Kansas City. “It’s so hard to go to work, only to get a phone call from your kid’s school letting you know that your child is sick. I have no choice but to leave to pick them up, which means missing the rest of the day’s pay. That has happened so many times I can’t even count. Having to choose between my kids or my job, as a parent I’m automatically going to choose my kids no matter what. Paid sick days would be life changing because it would allow parents like me to put my health and my kids’ health first.”
Missourians will have the opportunity to vote on this ballot initiative later this year that will underscore that working families are the drivers of the economy. “When workers can afford to meet their basic needs and are protected if they get sick – that’s good for communities, local businesses, and the economy,” said DeMarco Davidson, of Metropolitan Congregations United.
A full-time minimum wage worker makes just $492 per week. Studies show that letting employees earn sick days and increasing the minimum wage improves productivity, safety and job satisfaction, and reduces employee turnover. Studies also show that paid sick days provide societal benefits of over $600 million annually through reduced costs from the spread of contagious illnesses and reduction in worker compensation claims.
“Passing this initiative would be a tremendous win for our state’s children,” said Ruth Ehresman, Advocacy Consultant, Vision for Children at Risk. “Children deserve to live in households where their loved ones can care for them when they’re sick and can provide them with life’s necessities. Passing this ballot measure is a commonsense approach to promoting the well-being of Missouri’s young people.” This initiative will help over 338,000 kids who live in a household with someone earning minimum wage.
Laurie Knowlton, owner of Pickwick Underground Framing in Springfield and a member of Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy, said, “When you take care of your employees, they stay longer and take good care of your customers. That’s the key to sustaining a successful small business like we have for more than 20 years. When businesses don’t pay enough to retain employees, they waste time and money on hiring and training new employees. Productivity, morale and customer service suffer. The ballot initiative’s paid sick time provision is important for similar reasons. If people don’t get time off to take care of themselves when they are sick, we can’t expect them to take as good care of customers.”
The campaign needs to submit approximately 115,540 signatures from 6 of 8 Congressional districts in order to qualify for the ballot. Overall, Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages is submitting over 210,000 signatures, including signatures from all 115 Missouri counties. Over 850 different Missourians gathered signatures as part of the effort. “We have worked on campaigns before, but we’ve never seen this level of statewide activism and commitment from our volunteers and activists,” said Caitlyn Adams, Executive Director of Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action. “We feel confident that voters will have an opportunity to pass this important initiative this fall.”
The full ballot summary language can be found below:
Do you want to amend Missouri law to: increase minimum wage January 1, 2025 to $13.75 per hour, increasing $1.25 per hour each year until 2026, when the minimum wage would be $15.00 per hour; adjust minimum wage based on changes in the Consumer Price Index each January beginning in 2027; require all employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked; allow the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to provide oversight and enforcement; and exempt governmental entities, political subdivisions, school districts and education institutions? State governmental entities estimate one-time costs ranging from $0 to $53,000, and ongoing costs ranging from $0 to at least $256,000 per year by 2027. State and local government tax revenue could change by an unknown annual amount depending on business decisions.
For full text see initiative petition filing 2024-038 online at: www.sos.mo.gov/elections/petitions/2024
