In 2018, Halbert Baldwin, 24, was making $8 an hour as a patient care assistant at a nursing home in North St. Louis. On January 1, he saw his wage go up to $8.60, thanks to the passage of Proposition B to raise the state’s minimum wage. The proposition passed in the November midterm election with 62.2 percent of the statewide vote.
“It’s good that it’s going up,” Baldwin said. “I feel that everyone deserves more, but we still can’t live on $8, $9, or $10 an hour.”
Baldwin has three children: a 4-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter and a daughter who was just born on December 11. His son is going to need more supplies for school, Baldwin said. Between rent, food and the various things his children need, it is nearly impossible to survive on his wage, he said.
However, he will be looking forward to seeing his wage increase every year. With the passage of Prop B, the minimum wage will continue to gradually increase – by 85 cents each year – until it reaches $12 an hour in 2023. After 2023, the minimum wage may increase with the rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) set by the federal government.
Missouri’s minimum wage was previously $7.85 an hour, which meant that someone working full time earned just $314 a week, or barely more than $16,000 a year, according to Raise Up Missouri.
More than 64,000 Missouri workers were earning less than $8.60 and saw their wages go up on January 1, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
By 2023, 677,000 workers – or about 24 percent of Missouri’s workforce – will see their wages go up due to passage of Proposition B, according to EPI data. This includes 100,000 seniors and near retirees. The vast majority – over 75 percent – of workers currently earning under $12 an hour are over the age of 20.
And like Baldwin’s three children, more than 260,000 children in Missouri have a parent who will benefit from the minimum wage increase.
“I think it affects everyone because people are getting a little more to work with,” Baldwin said. “Everyone should be able to maintain.”
By the time it is fully implemented in 2023, Proposition B will result in over $1 billion in new consumer buying power, according to EPI data. More than 700 Missouri businesses publicly endorsed Proposition B.
Paula Jones, an organizer with SEIU Healthcare union, celebrated Prop B’s win at the watch party held at the Flamingo Bowl on November 6. The union represents many nursing home and hospital workers who receive low wages, she said.
“We have a lot of single parents out there, and that’s why we’re here – to bring it on home for our workers,” Jones said.
Richard von Glahn, policy director with Missouri Jobs With Justice, was also at the watch party and campaigned for Proposition B.
“What the results show is having a fair wage for a hard day of work is not a Republican or Democratic issue,” von Glahn said. “That’s why you see, even in a partisan era, people are coming together to help them take care of their families. A full-time worker shouldn’t live in poverty.”
Workers in Missouri who believe they are not being paid at least the minimum wage should contact the state Division of Labor Standards at 573-751-3403 or minimumwage@labor.mo.gov.
