Several business groups are asking the Missouri Supreme Court to overturn the voter-passed Proposition A, which will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 and mandate paid sick leave.
They contend that Prop A violates the requirement that ballot initiatives contain only one subject and argue that minimum wage and sick leave are two separate subjects. The measure passed last month with nearly 58% of the vote.
The groups include the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Grocers Association, the Missouri Restaurant Association, the Missouri Forest Products Association, and the National Federation of Independent Business.
“While Proposition A is bad policy and will have extreme and detrimental effects on Missouri’s businesses, that is not the basis of this action,” the petition states. “Instead, the election irregularities and the constitutional violations are so significant that the election results must be overturned and Proposition A must be declared invalid.”
Supporters of Prop A have said Missouri’s current minimum wage of $12.40 an hour is too low to make a living, even though it rises every year along with the consumer price index.
“This anti-democratic move is reprehensible,” said Marilyn McLeod, president, League of Women Voters of Missouri. “Missouri voters have spoken and this matter should be settled. These special interest groups could have raised their legal concerns at any other point in the process before the measure appeared on the ballot.”
Because of Prop A’s passage, Missouri’s minimum wage will rise to $13.75 an hour on January 1st, and then to $15 an hour in 2026. With some exceptions, employers in Missouri will be required to provide one hour of paid sick leave to employees for every 30 hours worked.
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