Latest news with #MissouriJobswithJustice
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri Republicans Vote To Repeal State's New Paid Sick Leave Law
Low-wage Missouri workers who just started accruing paid sick days this month are now likely to lose them by the end of August, courtesy of their Republican legislators. Lawmakers in the state Senate approved a bill last week overturning new sick leave protections that voters had approved by referendum in November 2024. The repeal passed 22-11 over a Democratic filibuster effort, with all but one Republican in support, after already passing the GOP-controlled state House. The bill is now headed for the desk of Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who suggested on Friday he would sign it. If he does, employers in the state would no longer be obligated to provide workers with one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours they work, capped at 56 hours per year. The requirement would end on Aug. 28, having only gone into effect on May 1. Missourians had approved the sick leave protections by a wide margin, with nearly 58% voting in support. Richard von Glahn, policy director at the worker center Missouri Jobs with Justice, said it was disappointing to see legislators reverse the will of their constituents. He noted that last week the state's Republicans also proposed a new constitutional amendment to nullify voter-approved abortion protections. 'People don't like being told they're stupid,' von Glahn told HuffPost. 'It's really a plague that's infected the Republican Party here.' The new sick leave law also included a new formula raising the state's minimum wage. An increase to $15 slated for next year will remain intact, but subsequent cost-of-living increases will be blocked by the GOP repeal. That means lawmakers or voters would have to approve any raises after 2026. A spokesperson for Kehoe did not immediately respond Monday when asked about the governor's plans for the legislation. Last week he called the repeal 'a huge issue to both small and large business and economic developers.' Unlike other wealthy countries, the U.S. does not require employers to provide sick leave. So an estimated 20% of workers go without it, meaning they lose a day's pay when they have to care for themselves or a loved one who's ill. Those with no access to paid sick days are much more likely to work in low-wage jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Without a federal law in place, a growing number of states and localities are approving their own — including those that lean conservative. Referendums similar to Missouri's also passed in Alaska and Nebraska last fall, giving backers of the proposals a way around GOP opposition in legislatures. Those ballot measures brought the total number of states with sick leave mandates to 18. Business groups opposed the sick leave measure in Missouri and quickly tried to scuttle the new law through a legal challenge. But the state Supreme Court in April upheld the results of the referendum, known as Proposition A, leaving the state legislature the main avenue for repeal. Von Glahn said the labor and public health groups that supported the law sought a compromise with the state's GOP legislators, proposing a carveout so that firms with 10 or fewer employees would be exempt. Under that scenario, more than 80% of workers in the state would still have protections, but the smallest employers would not be bound to the law, he said. 'That's kind of the definition of a compromise,' von Glahn said. 'They walked away from it and never really came back into serious conversations about it.' He called the procedural maneuver Republicans used to end the Democratic filibuster last Wednesday a 'nuclear option' to push the repeal through. The state's legislative session ended on Friday. For now, the existing law remains in effect, at least until the end of August. By then, many employers will have given their workers paid sick days for the first time — and will have to decide whether they want to strip them away moving forward. Doing so could save on labor costs, but runs the risk of alienating loyal employees. Backers of the sick leave law are also free to pursue another referendum. Von Glahn said he filed paperwork for one the day after the Senate voted for repeal. If supporters gather enough signatures, a similar proposal could end up on the ballot in the fall of 2026. Von Glahn is optimistic about its chances. 'Do I think Missouri voters who passed something with 58% support would pass it again, probably with higher support, if they're told politicians took it away from [them]? Yes,' he said. 'I don't think that's a hard campaign.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After Prop A rollback, Missouri Jobs With Justice launches ballot fight
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A newly passed Missouri bill aimed at reversing parts of Proposition A is now awaiting Governor Mike Kehoe's signature — and he's signaled he's ready to sign. In a dramatic move during one of the final moments of the legislative session, the Missouri Senate used a rare procedural tactic to end a filibuster and pass HB 567, a bill that removes the state's newly approved paid sick leave requirement. That means the sick day accrual policy, passed by voters just months ago, is on track to be eliminated. Kansas City man convicted in 2021, 2022 murder-for-hire plot The group Missouri Jobs with Justice is already preparing to fight back — filing paperwork to put the issue back on the ballot as a constitutional amendment. 'Missouri voters clearly support this policy — over 1.6 million people, or 58% of the state, voted for it,' Richard Von Glahn, the Policy Director for Missouri Jobs with Justice, said. While HB 567 doesn't entirely undo the state's new minimum wage increase — with the $15 per hour rate still set to take effect in January — it does cancel the automatic inflation-based increases that were scheduled to begin in 2027. KC Triathlon, Zoo pet vaccination event to shut down roads this weekend Supporters of the rollback say the changes will help businesses and protect jobs, but opponents argue this move is a clear case of lawmakers overturning the will of voters. 'We'll have to educate the public on why this is not in their best interest — this will stifle businesses opening up in Missouri,' Buddy Lah,l the CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, said. 'We also know that Missourians don't support politicians who overturn their decisions' von Glahn said. For now, the paid sick leave provision approved by Prop A remains in effect — but only until August 28. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri Capitol rally vows to fight for paid sick leave, defeat abortion ban
Protestors hold up signs criticizing Missouri lawmakers' recent votes to overturn ballot measures passed in 2024 during a rally on the Missouri Capitol steps Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). When Missouri voters approved a ballot measure last November to provide paid sick leave to hundreds of thousands of workers, Andi Phillips felt hopeful. Gone would be the 'complicated math game,' that she says she knew well — weighing whether missing a shift's pay meant she would still be able to afford things like a gallon of milk, the electricity bill, or laundry. 'I imagined a near future where I could work hard and make a living and be present for my family and my kids when they need me,' Phillips, a server in Springfield, said at a rally Thursday in front of the Missouri Capitol. But now, she said, 'because of politicians' decision to undo the will of the people — the votes that we gathered — I will no longer have the ability to earn paid sick time and the relief of knowing that I have the choice between a paycheck and my family's health.' Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Capitol Thursday afternoon to protest the passage of two bills the day prior by GOP lawmakers seeking to overturn initiatives approved by voters in November. One bill gutted Missouri's paid sick leave law and the other will put an abortion ban back on the ballot. 'What happened yesterday is a travesty of what's supposed to be democracy,' said Daniel Chura, organizer with Missouri Jobs with Justice, which helped lead the campaign for the paid sick leave law. 'When we look behind at this building, we know it's not democracy that's going on,' he added. 'But when we see what's gathered on these steps today, this is what democracy looks like.' Attendees led chants of 'this is what democracy looks like,' along with 'we are the worker, the mighty, mighty worker.' They said it's not the end of the fight for paid leave, and vowed to reject the abortion ban. They held American flags and signs ranging from 'Workers over billionaires' and 'No forced pregnancies,' to 'Missouri GOP: Gonna Override the People.' Wednesday evening, Missouri Senate Republicans invoked a rarely-used rule to shut down a Democratic filibuster and repeal the paid sick leave law and put an abortion ban on the ballot with language that does not mention banning abortion. The abortion amendment will appear on the November 2026 ballot, unless Gov. Mike Kehoe decides to hold a vote sooner. Missouri Republicans shut down Senate debate to pass abortion ban, repeal sick leave law The paid-sick leave benefits, which went into effect on May 1, will be stripped away on Aug. 28 if Kehoe signs the bill passed Wednesday. That bill also removes the requirement that the minimum wage be indexed to inflation, which has been in place since 2007. The paid sick leave and minimum wage provisions passed with nearly 58% of the vote in November as Proposition A, garnering support from unions, workers' advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights groups, as well as over 500 business owners. The measure made sick leave guaranteed for around 728,000 workers who lacked it statewide, or over 1 in 3 Missouri workers, according to an analysis from the progressive nonprofit the Missouri Budget Project. In November, more than 1.6 million Missourians voted 'yes' on the measure — more than the number who voted for U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley that election. Don Looney, a leader of UAW Local 2250, referred to the 'unmitigated gall' of lawmakers telling voters 'you didn't understand what you were voting for' by overturning paid sick leave. 'Your Missouri legislature has gone rogue,' Looney said. GOP critics portrayed paid sick leave as a 'job killer' that would hurt small businesses, and as a 'one-size-fits-all' mandate for businesses. House Speaker Jon Patterson said in a press conference Thursday he agreed with paid sick leave in principle but not as it was laid out in Prop A. 'I want people that are sick to be able to stay home and not have to work,' Patterson said. 'The way that it was done in Prop A it just was not workable. So I hope in the future what we see is something where employees are able to get their sick leave, but maybe not having mandates.' Regarding the repeal of Prop A without input from the voters, Patterson said: 'They do get to have their voice. They get to go out and vote for their elected representatives, and they come to Jefferson City and make decisions.' Amendment 3, which rolled back Missouri's abortion ban and opened the door for clinics to begin performing the procedure for the first time since 2022, passed with 52% of the vote, or over 1.5 million votes, in November. The proposed ban that will now appear on the ballot seeks to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion but allow exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of gestation. Abortion rights activists on Thursday led chants of 'we're not going back.' 'Voters have spoken,' said Mary Ann Perkins with Abortion Action Missouri. 'No forced pregnancy.' The proposed ban, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would reinstate several targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, that were recently struck down as unconstitutional by a Missouri judge. It seeks to ban gender transition surgeries and puberty blockers for minors, something that is already illegal in Missouri. 'No politician has the right to dictate what goes on in the doctor's office or in our private lives,' said Nancy O'Brien with Abortion Access Missouri. Terrence Wise, a low-wage worker with Stand up KC and Missouri Workers Center, said when he saw the news about the Senate vote Wednesday, he thought about all the days he went to work sick, or brought his children to work sick with 100 degree fevers because he lacked paid leave. He said the repeal could be 'fatal,' with people coming into work instead of getting needed care. 'Despite this clear mandate from the people, corporate interests refused to listen,' he said. Wise said Missourians in Democratic and Republican districts 'voted for economic dignity and for working people…a clear message that no one should have to choose between their health and affording rent.' Advocates said they'll consider putting the issue on the ballot again as a constitutional amendment, a move that would make it much harder for lawmakers to repeal. Ray Thomas, a union electrician and leader with Missouri Jobs with Justice, said in an interview with The Independent she was so 'jubilant' when the ballot measure passed in November that she cried. It was a 'relief' to, for the first time in her career, though she is nearing retirement, have time off when she or a family member is sick. Thomas collected 2,000 signatures to put the issue on the ballot last year and said talking to voters, she realized the issue transcended partisan divides — that it was about basic human rights. Initially the news of yesterday's repeal vote was 'depleting' but she said now, it's just 'round two.' 'The battle's back on,' Thomas said. 'I don't care if I'm out there in a wheelchair, I don't care. I'm gonna go collect signatures again. I'm not gonna lay down until we get what we deserve.'
Business Journals
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Missouri paid sick leave law now in effect, though legislative challenges still loom
Missouri's voter-approved paid sick leave law officially went into effect Thursday, allowing thousands of qualified employees to begin accruing paid time off. 'No Missourian should have to choose between a day's pay and their family's well-being,' said Caitlyn Adams, executive director of Missouri Jobs with Justice, which led the campaign for the law, in a press release. 'Tens of thousands of Missourians who work full-time do not get any paid sick days, but that changes today.' But while advocates for the policy celebrated Thursday's milestone, the new law remains at risk of being overturned by the GOP-dominated Missouri legislature. Republicans have vowed to pass legislation rolling back the paid sick leave and modifying an accompanying boost to the minimum wage. That bill has stalled in the face of Democratic opposition, and the legislative session ends May 16. Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina, has been a particularly loud voice urging repeal of the law. 'Our side of the aisle has great concern for the burden that this would place on businesses,' she told reporters Thursday, 'and if we're going to promote economic growth and jobs, we need to really be cognizant of that.' Proposition A passed with nearly 58% of the vote in November, garnering support from unions, workers' advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights groups, as well as over 500 business owners. The measure expanded access to paid sick time for many employees, effective Thursday. It also increased the minimum wage to $15 this year, which went into effect in January, to be adjusted for inflation thereafter. Under the law, employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year must now 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. 'I'm a single mother of four, and I am now able to start earning paid sick for the first time in my life,' said Andi Phillips, a server in Springfield, in the press release. 'I can't explain how huge of a relief it is that I can now earn time off to better take care of my family and give my kids a better future,' Phillips said. 'I never wanted a handout, just an opportunity to be the best version of myself for my kids and now I have that.' The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the law earlier this week, dealing a blow to a coalition of business groups who argued the measure violated the single-subject and clear title requirements for ballot measures, and that the fiscal summary was misleading. The Supreme Court found the election results valid. The Missouri House passed legislation that would repeal the paid sick leave part of the law and remove the requirement that the minimum wage be indexed to inflation. That bill awaits action in the Senate. The Senate Democrats have been in negotiations with Republicans for weeks to modify the bill, in what they've said is an effort to maintain the will of the voters in expanding paid sick leave rather than gut it entirely, as well as make it easier for businesses to comply. The Republicans could also force the bill through in a rarely-used procedural maneuver known as the previous question, or PQ. That requires the signatures of 10 members of the 34-member Senate and must be approved by a similar majority to shut down debate. It's use to end a filibuster is seen as a last-resort option by Senate leadership, and the last time the chamber deployed it was eight years ago. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Doug Beck, a Democrat from Affton, told reporters Thursday he doesn't know whether the two sides will come to an agreement. 'I would like to see us come to some sort of conclusion, because the law is in effect,' he said. 'People are earning sick time, and anything we do at this point could be taking away from people…I'm just saying, I am in good faith negotiations with the other side of the aisle on this and welcome to having those conversations as we continue on. Whether or not we come to a conclusion, I don't know.' Speaker of the House Jon Patterson, a Lee's Summit Republican, told reporters Thursday that modifying the law remains a priority and that he sees action on Prop A as necessary before the legislature can make progress on a bill that seeks to bring businesses to downtown St. Louis. 'For me, Prop A has to be addressed before we do anything like that,' Patterson said, referring to the bill that seeks to revitalize downtown St. Louis. '…There's no point to try to attract businesses when you're telling them with Prop A that it's going to be very difficult for you, you have these sick leave provisions that can lead to criminal penalties.' That is an 'absurd way to look at Proposition A,' state Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Springfield Democrat, responded to Patterson's comments. When Missouri workers are successful, she said, businesses will be, too. 'The idea that providing workers with more protections is a business killer is wild,' she said. '…To try to make this seem like this is something that will kill business, that will keep businesses from opening, I think it's absurd, and I think it's quite disappointing, and I think it sends absolutely the wrong message.' This report originally appeared on Missouri Independent and is republished here under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri paid sick leave law now in effect, though legislative challenges still loom
Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin said it is a priority of her party to roll back a paid sick leave expansion that was approved by voters in November (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Missouri's voter-approved paid sick leave law officially went into effect Thursday, allowing thousands of qualified employees to begin accruing paid time off. 'No Missourian should have to choose between a day's pay and their family's well-being,' said Caitlyn Adams, executive director of Missouri Jobs with Justice, which led the campaign for the law, in a press release. 'Tens of thousands of Missourians who work full-time do not get any paid sick days, but that changes today.' But while advocates for the policy celebrated Thursday's milestone, the new law remains at risk of being overturned by the GOP-dominated Missouri legislature. Republicans have vowed to pass legislation rolling back the paid sick leave and modifying an accompanying boost to the minimum wage. That bill has stalled in the face of Democratic opposition, and the legislative session ends May 16. Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina, has been a particularly loud voice urging repeal of the law. 'Our side of the aisle has great concern for the burden that this would place on businesses,' she told reporters Thursday, 'and if we're going to promote economic growth and jobs, we need to really be cognizant of that.' Proposition A passed with nearly 58% of the vote in November, garnering support from unions, workers' advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights groups, as well as over 500 business owners. The measure expanded access to paid sick time for many employees, effective Thursday. It also increased the minimum wage to $15 this year, which went into effect in January, to be adjusted for inflation thereafter. Under the law, employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year must now 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. 'I'm a single mother of four, and I am now able to start earning paid sick for the first time in my life,' said Andi Phillips, a server in Springfield, in the press release. 'I can't explain how huge of a relief it is that I can now earn time off to better take care of my family and give my kids a better future,' Phillips said. 'I never wanted a handout, just an opportunity to be the best version of myself for my kids and now I have that.' Missouri Democrats filibuster GOP effort to overturn voter-approved paid sick leave The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the law earlier this week, dealing a blow to a coalition of business groups who argued the measure violated the single-subject and clear title requirements for ballot measures, and that the fiscal summary was misleading. The Supreme Court found the election results valid. The Missouri House passed legislation that would repeal the paid sick leave part of the law and remove the requirement that the minimum wage be indexed to inflation. That bill awaits action in the Senate. The Senate Democrats have been in negotiations with Republicans for weeks to modify the bill, in what they've said is an effort to maintain the will of the voters in expanding paid sick leave rather than gut it entirely, as well as make it easier for businesses to comply. The Republicans could also force the bill through in a rarely-used procedural maneuver known as the previous question, or PQ. That requires the signatures of 10 members of the 34-member Senate and must be approved by a similar majority to shut down debate. It's use to end a filibuster is seen as a last-resort option by Senate leadership, and the last time the chamber deployed it was eight years ago. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Doug Beck, a Democrat from Affton, told reporters Thursday he doesn't know whether the two sides will come to an agreement. 'I would like to see us come to some sort of conclusion, because the law is in effect,' he said. 'People are earning sick time, and anything we do at this point could be taking away from people…I'm just saying, I am in good faith negotiations with the other side of the aisle on this and welcome to having those conversations as we continue on. Whether or not we come to a conclusion, I don't know.' Speaker of the House Jon Patterson, a Lee's Summit Republican, told reporters Thursday that modifying the law remains a priority and that he sees action on Prop A as necessary before the legislature can make progress on a bill that seeks to bring businesses to downtown St. Louis. 'For me, Prop A has to be addressed before we do anything like that,' Patterson said, referring to the bill that seeks to revitalize downtown St. Louis. '…There's no point to try to attract businesses when you're telling them with Prop A that it's going to be very difficult for you, you have these sick leave provisions that can lead to criminal penalties.' That is an 'absurd way to look at Proposition A,' state Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Springfield Democrat, responded to Patterson's comments. When Missouri workers are successful, she said, businesses will be, too. 'The idea that providing workers with more protections is a business killer is wild,' she said. '…To try to make this seem like this is something that will kill business, that will keep businesses from opening, I think it's absurd, and I think it's quite disappointing, and I think it sends absolutely the wrong message.'
