About 57% of Missouri voters supported Proposition A on November 5th, 2024, and passage of the ballot measure will increase the minimum wage to $13.75 on January 1, 2025 and $15 on January 1, 2026.
In addition, on May 1, 2025, workers can begin earning up to seven paid sick days per year.
“This raise shows what happens when workers come together to create change,” said Gabriella Love, a nursing home worker in St Louis.
“Many workers in my profession don’t make $15/hour. That leads to workforce shortages in our nursing home facilities – where many of our loved ones receive care. That simply is not right and will no longer be our reality.”
According to Missouri Jobs With Justice, raising the minimum wage “is a proven strategy that helps workers, families and our economy thrive.”
The increase will raise wages for nearly 440,000 MO workers, injecting over $365 million into the Missouri economy. One in five Missouri children live in a home that will see an increase in household earnings. This increase in wages will have positive ripple effects that benefit all Missourians as low wage workers spend their increased earnings in local communities.
Research by mobudget.com shows that during the phase-in of Missouri’s last minimum wage increase, Missouri’s unemployment rate went down at a rate higher than the national average and higher than each of Missouri’s neighbors that did not increase the minimum wage.
This is consistent with prior research that suggests increases in the minimum wage increase employment, in part by reducing turnover among employees.
“Working families are the drivers of the economy,” said Caitlyn Adams Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action executive director.
“We are proud to take another step forward in building an economy that works for all.”
A group of businesses filed a legal challenge shortly after the election claiming that the result should be thrown out because it violated constitutional rules on ballot initiatives.
election results should be overturned because of several constitutional violations, including alleged violations of the state constitution’s single-subject requirement.
Plaintiffs include the Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Grocers Association, the Missouri Restaurant 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,” according to a coalition statement.
“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.”
Marilyn McLeod, president of League of Women Voters of Missouri, called the lawsuit “anti-democratic” and “reprehensible” in a press release.
“These special interest groups could have raised their legal concerns at any other point in the process before the measure appeared on the ballot,” McLeod said.
“We are appalled that judges will be asked to overturn the wishes of the Missouri electorate,” she added, “but we are confident that they will see that wages and benefits are clearly part of the same subject on compensation and will reject this lawsuit.”