Latest news with #MissouriRestaurantAssociation
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Founder of popular Kansas City restaurant dies. ‘Happy-go-lucky man'
It's hard to exaggerate just how much Vic Allred's restaurant meant to him. 'It was his life,' said Buddy Lahl, a 20-year friend of Allred's and the CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association. In addition to founding Jazz — A Louisiana Kitchen, Allred served on the board of the Greater Kansas City and Missouri Restaurant Associations, as well as the National Restaurant Association. Then, he decided to advocate for restaurant owners on a political level and became a Missouri representative, representing District 13 from 2019 to 2021. Allred, who was in his early 60s, died recently, leaving Lahl and others in the restaurant community heartbroken. His cause of death has not been shared publicly. 'I talked to him a few weeks ago,' Lahl said. The two were planning a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a public affairs conference together. Allred began Jazz in Lubbock, Texas, in 1986. He moved to Kansas City and opened a restaurant here in 1994 on 39th Street. Several more locations followed, including ones in Independence; Omaha, Nebraska; Austin, Texas; and Sparks, Nevada. Today, Jazz remains open at the original Lubbock location, its first Kansas City metro spot at 1823 W. 39th St., and 859 Village West Parkway, No. 102 in Kansas City, Kansas. Another is open in Columbia. Menu items include the Cajun stir fry, Cajun fried shrimp, crawfish fettuccine and Papa Vic's Pasta (bell peppers, celery, onions, mushrooms in chicken fettuccine Alfredo). In opening Jazz, Allred envisioned a swinging Cajun bar and restaurant with live music acts multiple days a week. Not surprising for Allred, who Lahl said loved to entertain. The customers all knew him, too, whether it was from seeing him working behind the bar or appearing in commercials with former broadcaster Bill Grigsby. 'Hey, folks, Papa Vic here to talk about what's new here at your favorite restaurant, Jazz — A Louisiana Kitchen,' Allred can be heard chirping in an old commercial, drawing out the vowel on the word 'Jazz.' 'Vic was a happy-go-lucky man,' Lahl said — much like the motto of his restaurant 'laissez les bons temps rouler' ('let the good times roll'). Allred was friendly with everyone who would walk through his doors. 'If you were ever in the restaurant and he was there, he would go over and say 'hi' … before it was over, you would be his best friend,' said Jazz's chief technical officer, Scott Medlock. Joe Roberts worked at Jazz for several years in various capacities: assistant manager, bartender, waiter and everything in between. He helped Allred open the original Kansas City restaurant. He remembers Allred for his jovial personality and big smile. 'He was a fun guy,' Roberts said. 'Very smart restauranteur … little bit of a genius.' In addition to keeping the overhead costs low and energy high, Roberts said Allred was kind to his employees. Roberts got emotional, or 'misty eyed' as he called it, talking about the moment he found out Allred had passed. 'It's the same kind of deflation you feel when you find somebody in your family passed in the night you didn't know about,' he said. 'And you were like 'Wow. Gosh, I'm never gonna see that smile again.'' Three or four years ago, Allred stopped being involved in the day-to-day operations of Jazz but kept a small share. Lahl isn't sure how much, but he called him 'a silent partner.' Allred's brother, Lee, continued to be involved in the business. What are some of Roberts' favorite memories of Vic? Too many to tell, he said with a laugh, then added, 'But that's New Orleans.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri Republicans consider delaying voter-approved minimum wage hike, paid sick leave
Buddy Lahl, chief executive officer of the Missouri Restaurant Association, testifies in favor of a bill to limit the impact of the minimum wage law that took effect Jan. 1. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Indepenent) A bill changing the terms of the Missouri minimum wage law approved by voters four months ago will leave all the promised benefits in place but may delay their implementation, the chairman of a House committee looking at the law said Wednesday. State Rep. David Casteel, a High Ridge Republican, told members of the House Commerce Committee during a hearing that they will rewrite the several bills seeking to change Proposition A. That process will take time, he said, telling them not to expect a vote at the panel's regular meeting next week. 'No one in this body is trying to overturn the choice of the people,' Casteel said. In an interview, Casteel said he's considering ideas that would delay a minimum wage increase set for Jan. 1, 2026, or the provision requiring most employers to offer paid sick and family leave. 'We're going to get into the nitty gritty of everything within the bill,' Casteel said. 'There's a lot we don't like, and there's a lot we do like, about all the bills that have been and will be presented.' Republicans who control the legislature must find a sweet spot between the 58% majority who approved Proposition A and the major business groups who opposed the measure and are among the GOP's most reliable supporters. Proposition A increased the minimum wage in Missouri to $13.75 an hour on Jan. 1 and $15 an hour next year. In future years, the wage would be adjusted for changes in prices, a provision that has been in state law since 2006. It also requires employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to provide one hour of paid sick and family time for every 30 hours worked. The paid leave provisions take effect May 1. On Wednesday, the Commerce Committee held public hearings on two of the five bills on its agenda that would alter aspects of Proposition A. One of the bills, filed by state Rep. Carolyn Caton, a Republican from Blue Springs, would repeal the inflation adjustment. It would also allow employers to pay workers younger than 20 the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and exempt all employers with business receipts less than $10 million annually. 'It isn't that we don't want to pay people,' Caton said. 'We want to pay people well, but we need to do so in a manner that is going to protect our small businesses.' The other bill, filed by state Rep. Scott Miller, a Republican from St. Charles, would exempt workers under 21 from the state minimum wage and businesses with fewer than 50 employees. It would also allow employers to reduce the final paycheck of anyone who doesn't give at least two weeks notice before quitting, or any employee who violates the provisions of the employer's worker handbook. 'If a business is going to be obligated by law to pay a minimum wage, which is, frankly, the government is price-fixing labor, then the government ought to performance-fix the employees,' Miller said. The campaign to pass Proposition A drew no large-scale opposition prior to the vote. But a court challenge filed in early December by major business advocacy groups asks the Missouri Supreme Court to invalidate the vote. The court has set the case for arguments on March 12. At the same time, those business groups — Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and industry groups representing retailers, restaurants and grocers — are urging lawmakers to repeal portions or delay their implementation. 'In an ideal world, we would love to roll it all back,' Kara Corches, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a recent webinar. 'But part of the legislative process, or the sausage making process as we say sometimes, you don't always get, in the end, what you started with.' Ron Berry, lobbyist for one of Proposition A's biggest backers, Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action, said during Wednesday's hearing that the proposals to exempt businesses with fewer than 50 employees would cover 96% of all private businesses. Responding to a question about the difficulty employers will have covering the additional cost, Berry said labor isn't the only thing driving up prices. 'Whether it's wages or it's the cost of energy, all of you know inflation is higher, and we're all having to tighten our belts,' Berry said. Buddy Lahl, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, told the committee that his members want the exemption threshold raised to 100 employees as well as implementing the $10 million revenue floor. He also said the sick leave provisions should not allow hours to be carried over from one year to the other. 'It should be a use it or lose it thing,' Lahl said. Business lobbyists also warned of job losses, or even businesses that won't survive, if the increased minimum wage stands. State Rep. Steve Butz, a Democrat from St. Louis, said he didn't believe that argument, noting that Missouri voters increased the minimum wage twice before without sinking the state's economy. 'We've had other increases in minimum wage,' Butz said. 'We always have been told that it's going to kill jobs and jobs continue to grow in the state.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
