Missouri business associations have filed a lawsuit in an effort to block a newly passed voter-approved law that raises the state’s minimum wage and requires paid sick leave for workers. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, claims the law violates the state constitution by addressing multiple issues in a single ballot measure.
Details of the New Law
The law, which was passed by voters in the November 5 election, includes two major components. The first is a minimum wage increase, which will raise the state’s minimum wage from $12.30 per hour to $13.75 in January 2024, with a further increase to $15 per hour by 2026. The second provision mandates paid sick leave, requiring employers to offer employees up to seven paid sick days per year starting in May.
Business Groups’ Legal Argument
The lawsuit was filed by several powerful business organizations, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Restaurant Association, and the Missouri Grocers Association. The groups argue that the law violates a constitutional requirement that ballot measures only address one issue. They claim that by combining the minimum wage increase with the paid sick leave provision, the law is unconstitutional. The groups have asked the Missouri Supreme Court to declare the law invalid, citing what they describe as “election irregularities” and constitutional violations that they believe should overturn the election results.
Response from Minimum Wage Advocates
Advocates for the law, including the Fight for 15 movement, criticized the lawsuit as an attempt to undermine the will of Missouri voters. “Missouri’s working class, in lockstep with allies across the state, went to the ballot box on Nov. 5 to overwhelmingly voice our need for paid sick days and fair wages,” said Terrence Wise of the Fight for 15. “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.”
Other States’ Voter Measures on Wages and Sick Leave
Missouri was not the only state to have minimum wage or paid sick leave measures on the ballot this year. In Alaska, voters approved a similar measure, while voters in California rejected a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $18 per hour. Arizona voters defeated a measure that would have allowed businesses to pay tipped workers less than the minimum wage, and Massachusetts voters rejected a proposal to gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped employees. In Nebraska, voters approved a measure requiring employers to provide sick leave but did not include a minimum wage increase.
Business Groups’ Concerns About the Law’s Cost
Business groups also argue that Missouri voters were misled about the costs associated with the law and the businesses and workers it would affect. They point out that government employees and workers at small businesses with revenues under $500,000 annually are exempt from the paid sick leave provisions, and they claim that this was not clearly communicated in the ballot measure.
