Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the repeal of a law that guaranteed paid sick leave for workers and inflationary adjustments to minimum wage. Kehoe signed the repeal on Thursday, July 10, and it will officially take effect Aug. 28.
Victory for businesses
The governor says this move will protect small businesses, calling the law “onerous.”
“Conservative leadership is about keeping more money in the hands of Missouri families, and less in government coffers,” Kehoe said in a statement. “Today, we are protecting the people who make Missouri work—families, job creators, and small business owners—by cutting taxes, rolling back overreach, and eliminating costly mandates.”
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While it’s a break for businesses, it’s a blow to workers’ rights advocates who’d spent years and millions of dollars to get the law enacted.
That ballot initiative passed with 58% of the vote. The state Supreme Court then upheld it after business groups challenged the validity of the ballot question.
Workers’ rights advocates continue to fight
A spokesperson from Missouri Jobs with Justice called the move “a slap in the face.”
“Now workers may again face the reality of having no paid sick time to take care of their families without losing out on a check. This move by the Missouri legislature sets a dangerous precedent for democratic processes in our state,” Richard Von Glahn, Policy Director of Missouri Jobs with Justice, said in a statement. “I encourage business owners in Missouri to do their best to implement paid sick leave regardless of what this bill says to demonstrate their dedication to workers and their families.”
That law would allow employees to earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked beginning May 1. When it’s officially repealed on Aug. 28, someone working 40 hours a week could have earned 22 hours of paid sick leave, according to The Associated Press.
Von Glahn has already submitted a proposed ballot initiative to the Missouri Secretary of State to reinstate the repealed provisions. That new measure would be a constitutional amendment, so the Legislature would not be able to revise or repeal it without another public vote.
Nationwide issue
Fifteen states and Washington, D.C., all have mandatory paid sick leave. Three other states have mandatory paid leave for any reason. Along with Missouri, voters in Nebraska and Alaska also approved paid sick leave requirements last year. But like Missouri, lawmakers in both of those states are also trying to roll back those benefits. Alaska’s came into effect on July 1.
