Missouri voters to decide on minimum wage and paid sick leave initiative in Nov.

Voters in Missouri will decide on a ballot initiative addressing minimum wage and paid sick leave, titled Proposition A, on Nov. 5, 2024.

On Aug. 13, the secretary of state’s office found that campaign proponents submitted enough valid signatures for the initiative to qualify for the ballot. Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages submitted 210,000 signatures on May 1.

The initiative would increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2026, starting at $13.75 per hour in 2025. It would also require employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

The initiative would require businesses with 15 or fewer employees to provide at least five paid sick days per year, while those with more than 15 employees must offer at least seven paid sick days annually. Employees can use this sick leave for their own illnesses or to care for family members.

The minimum wage in Missouri is currently $12.30 per hour. This was established when voters approved Proposition B in 2018, which increased the minimum wage each year until reaching $12 in 2023 and then made increases or decreases based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. Proposition B was approved by 62.34% of voters on Nov. 6, 2018. Previously, Missouri voters approved another ballot measure, also called Proposition B, in 2006, which raised the state minimum wage to $6.50 per hour or to the level of the federal minimum wage, if higher. That measure was approved by 75.94% of voters on Nov. 7, 2006.

Missouri voters will decide on five total measures on Nov. 5. Two measures were referred by the state legislature and three other citizen-initiated measures were also certified for the ballot.