The Missouri Supreme Court is weighing a petition from several business groups that want the election results for Proposition A overturned.
The measure passed in November with 57.5% of the vote. Prop A will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2026 and mandates that employees be given one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
Buddy Law, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, called Prop A harmful, especially for small businesses.
“So this truly isn’t, isn’t affecting the big corporations,” Law told Missourinet. “It won’t cost them as much money as it will the small business that has 10 to 20 employees, that doesn’t have an HR department, that manages their own payroll, and now they’re going to have to not only pay the additional expenses, they’re going to have to find the support to follow the guidelines.”
Law and other opponents argue that Proposition A is unconstitutional because it contains more than one subject matter – minimum wage and paid sick leave. Aside from the Missouri Restaurant Association, the petition was also filed by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Forest Products Association, the Missouri Grocers Association, Associated Industries of Missouri, and the National Federation of Independent Business.
Proposition A supporters believe minimum wage and paid sick leave are both similar enough to meet the legal definition of one subject. They’ve also said that the state’s minimum wage historically has not been high enough to earn a living, and that not having paid sick leave forces some people to work while ill.
But Law insists that the new law is already hurting small family-owned restaurants.
“I’ve had three restaurants just in the last week that are closing in the beginning of January, and (they) cite Proposition A (as) one of the reasons why they’re closing,” he said. “I mean, the cost of goods are going up. Labor costs are going up. They just can’t afford to stay open.”
There’s no indication when the Missouri Supreme Court will rule on the case. One part of Prop A is already in effect – Missouri’s minimum wage rose to $13.75 an hour on New Year’s Day.
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