Release: Missouri workers to defend overwhelming victory of Proposition A

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2024
Contact: Joni Wickham, joni@wickhamjames.com

1,679,972 Missourians voted to raise the minimum wage and allow workers to earn paid sick time

Workers across the state denounced a lawsuit filed by interest groups who are asking the courts to overturn the will of Missouri voters who passed Proposition A with 57% of the vote. 

“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. The voters have overwhelmingly approved the measure. We are appalled that judges will be asked to overturn the wishes of the Missouri electorate, 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.”

The Proposition A victory on Nov. 5 was the culmination of months of workers’ efforts to gather signatures and educate voters. After collecting 210,000 signatures from every county, the measure was certified for the ballot in August by the Missouri Secretary of State. The ballot measure garnered widespread grassroots support prior to Election Day, including from over 135 Missouri-based organizations and over 500 Missouri businesses.

Terrence Wise, a longtime leader in Stand up KC, the Fight for $15 and current leader with the Missouri Workers Center reflected on the work to get here and his feelings on the underhanded attempt to undermine the election results.

“Missouri’s working class, in lockstep with allies across the state, went to the ballot box on November 5 to overwhelmingly voice our need for paid sick days and fair wages in a free and fair election,” Wise said. “It’s sickening to me that corporations are trying to steal our victory away and quiet the will of the voters who made this win possible. It hurts our families and our communities and simply put, it’s un-American. With Prop A we have a chance for change and hope, and we will come together as low-wage workers and Missourians — Black, White, and Brown — to defend it.”

Proposition A’s passage means beginning May 1, workers can earn up to 7 paid sick days per year. Additionally, the minimum wage will rise to $13.75 on Jan. 1, 2025, and $15 on Jan. 1, 2026. These interest groups, and our elected leaders, would be better off educating businesses and workers on how to comply with the new law rather than engage in frivolous lawsuits that are a distraction to building an economy that works for everyone.

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