The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Proposition A, the voter-approved law expanding paid sick leave and minimum wage rises each year.
Proposition A, passed by an overwhelming majority of Missouri voters in November 2024, will go into effect Thursday. May 1.
Yet, Republican legislators continue to ignore the will of the people by pressing for House Bill 567.
The bill would repeal Proposition A’s paid sick leave provisions and eliminate cost-of-living adjustments for its minimum wage increase.
The Supreme Court heard arguments last month seeking to strike down the law. A lawsuit was filed by a coalition of business groups and individuals, which argued the law should be vacated because it violated constitutional rules on ballot initiatives.
The alleged infractions included of the state constitution’s single-subject requirement and a lack of a clear title, which the court ruled it lacks jurisdiction over.
“This court finds there was no election irregularity, and the election results are valid,” Chief Justice Mary Russell wrote in the opinion.
Low-wage workers with Missouri Workers Center will join together in support of Prop B and workers’ rights during a rally at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, 2025, outside of SEIU Healthcare, 5585 Pershing Avenue, St. Louis, 63112.
Democratic state Sens. Doug Beck, Karla May, Steven Roberts, Angela Mosley, Brian Williams, and Tracy McCreery of St. Louis, who all have filibustered in an effort to stop the bill, will join along with Missouri Jobs with Justice and allies representing faith, labor, and civil rights organizations.
The rally will be in celebration of International Workers’ Day and the May 1 implementation of earned paid sick days guaranteed to workers through passage of Proposition A, passed with the support of 58% of Missouri voters.
The Missouri Independent reported that Williams, a Democrat from University City, spent over two hours blocking action in the chamber with a filibuster Tuesday morning, saying some had been acting in bad faith during negotiations.
“This year, there’s been again, people going back on negotiation, bad faith efforts, distrust, people feeling deceived and members of the body feeling disrespected,” he said.
“But most importantly, all in the name of disregarding voters. The very same voters that have sent us here.”
Under the law, beginning May 1, employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year must provide at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 workers must allow workers to earn at least 40 hours per year, with larger employers mandated to allow at least 56 hours. The law also gradually increases the minimum wage.
“I felt the need to take a stand against HB 567,” said state Sen. Mosley in a legislative update.
“So far, I, along with many of my colleagues, have been successful in keeping this bill from passing.”
Proposition A raised the minimum wage to $13.75 and would raise it again to $15 on Jan. 1, 2026.
It would continue to raise the minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which helps track inflation and the cost of goods.
HB 567, if passed, would make it so the minimum wage would not automatically increase and “instead require us to fight for every additional increase in future years,” according to Mosley.
“Prop A also established an employee’s right to sick leave and ensure every employee in Missouri had the ability to take off work when sick, but HB 567 would remove guaranteed sick leave for Missouri employees.”
Buddy Lahl, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, which was a plaintiff in the lawsuit, told The Missouri Independent on Tuesday that Prop B “is financially burdensome, just short of devastating, and its regulatory requirements are extremely difficult for single unit operators.”
In a statement, the Missouri Workers Center said, “Missourians shouldn’t have to choose between their paycheck, their health, and their family’s health.”
“But 1 in 3 Missouri working parents don’t get a single paid sick day, so staying home means missing out on pay needed for prescriptions, food, or rent. Prop A implementation would mean the freedom for over 700,000 workers to care for themselves and their loved ones without having to worry about affording basic necessities amid a cost-of-living crisis.”